I focus on craft: Ranveer Singh

As an actor, Ranveer Singh said that he tries to protect the side of the ‘artist’ in him by staying detached from the ‘number game’ as he believes that films are ‘truly a collaborative effort’, whether they are successful or not.

The Bollywood actor said that he is grateful for the love his character, Rocky Randhawa, is receiving in filmmaker Karan Johar’s romance drama ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’, which is ‘another feather in the cap in the filmography and an array of characters that are dear to me’.

“I protect that side of the artist and the actor and for that, I’m very grateful. Miraculously, I get to be part of one great thing that I love, called Hindi movies. There are ups and downs in life. I’ve always believed the process is the prize itself,” Ranveer told reporters at a press conference celebrating the success of the film.

If a performance is well-received by the viewers, then it is a cherry on the cake, the actor said.

“My purpose in life is to build a body of work that I can look back and be proud of. From playing Bittu Sharma (in his debut film ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’) to Rocky Randhawa, it has been an incredible experience. I’m only grateful for that,” Ranveer said.

Co-starring Alia Bhatt, the film has become a critical and commercial success. It recently raked in Rs 100 crore in worldwide box office collections since its release in theatres.

Ranveer Singh, whose last two films, ‘83’ and ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’, were not that successful, said that filmmaking is a collaborative process and the credit for the success of a film belongs to the whole team.

“I don’t understand the numbers game at all and I try to remain as detached from it as possible. I focus on the craft, performance and character and do my best to contribute to what is truly a collaborative effort,” he added.

The ‘Gully Boy’ star further said, “If the film is a success, it is not my own, it is everybody’s. The same goes for failure as well. As they say, you learn more from your failures than your successes. I’ve learnt a few things in the past. But at the moment, I’m delighted with the love shown towards Rocky.”

Ranveer said that his endeavour is to offer something new to the audience every time he plays a ‘Delhi boy’. The actor started his cinematic journey by playing Delhi boy Bittoo Sharma in the 2010 blockbuster ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’.

“I’m glad amongst the various Delhi boys I have played that I was able to offer something different with every character. That is very fulfilling and heartening to learn from the audiences’ reaction to the movie,” he said.

Alia, who made her acting debut with Karan Johar’s 2012 movie ‘Student of the Year’, recalled how nervous she was about working on the movie and doing lip-sync for songs.

“It was the first time I was doing a full lip-sync song after ‘Ishq Wala Love’. There was nervousness in me. I was discussing with Karan Johar and he said, ‘Why don’t you call Shah Rukh Khan? Maybe he will give you some tips’. So I called him up to talk on the phone. I just wanted to understand because nobody lip-syncs like him. He said, ‘Tu ghar aaja. Suhana (Khan) also wants to learn this. Toh hum dono ko saath mein tution kareinge. Tu gaana leke aaja’,” she said.

Alia Bhatt said that she spent a few hours with Shah Rukh and learnt the art of lip-syncing along with Suhana, who is set to make her acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Netflix’ movie ‘The Archies’.

“The way he broke it down; he made me download some apps. He said, ‘Baar baar karo’. He had also learned the song by the end of it. It just shows what a generous and large-hearted man he is. He is so wonderful and always willing to help,” she added.

Alia joked that she got married twice in four days during the making of ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’. She tied the knot with actor Ranbir Kapoor in April 2022.

“Four days after I got married in real life, I got married again in reel life for the film. My home wedding was very simple. I wore a light saree. And here I was wearing a very heavy lehenga. I’m very grateful I had a simple wedding at home because I would not have been able to do those things. One interesting thing in the wedding song, where Ranveer Singh’s character sits down on his knees and bows down for me to put ‘varmala’, it happened the same with me at my wedding with Ranbir,” she added.

‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’ follows the love story of the titular couple, played by Ranveer and Alia, who belong to contrasting backgrounds and cultures.

The romance drama, which marks Johar’s return to direction after 2016’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, also features veteran actors Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

“When you have a good captain, then the team plays well,” said Dharmendra.

The veteran actor added, “I have worked on bad stories and done movies for money or to help someone out, but when I first heard this story, I thought that this is the story of every household. You can take any character and today, kids dance in every home.”

“I enjoyed every bit of my time with this unit. I haven’t been able to watch the film, but I have been receiving messages from a lot of people. There is nothing bigger than love,” he shared.