Actors are now fearless

‘Actors are now fearless and pushing boundaries like never before’

He keeps gossip magazines busy and makes girls swoon everytime he makes an appearance, but actor Ranbir Kapoor doesn’t let all the adulation come in the way of his work. After having assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali when he was filming Black, Kapoor landed a role in Bhansali’s ambitious project Saawariya. Though the film failed, the audience took note of Kapoor, both his chocolate boy looks and his skill. Undeterred by the debut flop, Kapoor went on to experiment with a variety of roles, playing a spoilt brat (Wake Up Sid), salesman (Rocket Singh), a manipulative politician’s son (Rajneeti) and now musician (Rockstar). In his own words, Ranbir Kapoor, son of film industry veterans Neetu Singh and Rishi Kapoor, and a Kapoor grandchild wants to let his work speak, and work with all the good directors out there. Aware he is a youth icon, Kapoor says he is very careful about the brands he endorses, only the top ones which have an established name will do. As for the film industry,—”movies will always come first for me”—he says there is a sea change now with actors becoming fearless. He too belongs to that breed. Excerpts from an interview with Fe’s Sudipta Datta:

Has it been easier to break into the film industry because of your surname or does the Kapoor name come with huge responsibility?

I may have got an opportunity earlier in life because I hail from a film family, but I don’t take my job for granted. I want to detach my surname from my work, people should recognise me for what I do, not because I am a Kapoor. All I want is more opportunities to work with all the good directors out there. There is a lot of new talent, a lot of new stories to tell. It’s a great time to be a part of the Hindi film industry.

It must be said that in your short time you have spent in the industry, you have already done a variety of roles right from your debut Saawariya to Rajneeti and now Rockstar. How do you decide on your films?

I like to challenge myself with various roles and that’s why I have chosen so many different types of characters. As for Rockstar, I like the work Imtiaz Ali is doing and Rockstar is a musical love story. I love music, having grown up on Hindi film music of people like RD Burman. My father also listened to a lot of world music and exposed me to various artists and bands from Neil Diamond to U2.

How did you prepare for the role of Rockstar? Do you play the guitar?

I learnt to play the guitar in two months. And A R Rahman put the music to Rockstar. One of the highlights for me was to watch the master at work in Chennai.

You have studied film making, how much of that do you put in your acting?

You may study film making but acting is such an art that it’s more an instinctive and spontaneous process. I am still groping, and I hope to learn more with more work I do. I am ambitious, I want to be the biggest filmstar, the best actor, but for that I need a huge body of work and I am aware of that. But I am on the path to that goal.

Are you a film buff?

Oh yes, I watch each movie that releases. I love to watch films and sit through at least two movies a day at home.

Is directing on the cards, too, sometime in the future?

I aspire to direct a film sometime, but first I want to increase my footprint as an actor.

How seriously do you take yourself as a youth icon? Are you choosy about the brands you endorse?

I like to endorse only the top brands and, yes, I am very careful about what I represent. As of now, I endorse only six brands, Pepsi, John Players, Nissan, Hero, Panasonic and Docomo, but they all have a huge name. It’s great that they show confidence in me and are willing to be a part of my journey. The money is an added bonus, but I am not in this line of work for that alone. I want to earn people’s respect for my acting—the movies come first, always.

Having worked in the industry for several years, are you seeing a change in the way the industry functions now?

There’s a sea change in the way the industry is functioning now, in fact, there’s a sea change. Earlier, actors would usually do only one type of film, now actors are fearless and are pushing boundaries like never before.

After Rockstar, what will we be seeing you in?

I am acting in Anurag Basu’s light-hearted comedy Barfee. It’s lovely to work with a very good director like Basu. I am also going to work with Ayan Mukherjee (Wake up Sid) again with Deepika next. I usually like to do two films a year.

A word about football, you are Barcelona’s India ambassador. What are the plans?

It’s a game I am passionate about. I played football till college level. The Barcelona team is a great team with players like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta in it. I have been to Barcelona and have seen the stadium. It has a great infrastructure. I hope we can do something to uplift football infrastructure in the country where many people are also crazy about the game.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/actors-are-now-fearless-and-pushing-boundaries-like-never-before/857623/0

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