Ranbir Kapoor - Out for the kill

BY HARSHIKAA UDASI
Ranbir Kapoor, tinsel town’s latest lover boy, talks about ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’.

It’s obviously a well-rehearsed answer with just enough betrayal of emotion. ‘Three heroines Ranbir – which of them was the best to work with?’ is definitely not the easiest question to respond to, especially when one of them happens to be your girlfriend. “There’s no way I can choose between them. I shared a great relationship with all of them and we had a great time during the shoot,” says the Kapoor scion with a slight blush.

Never mind the towel and derriere jokes that must have given him nightmares post Saawariya, this 26-year-old is back with a Yash Raj movie next week. Shedding his gullible lover boy image, Ranbir is now out for the kill saying Bachna Ae Haseeno. Dad Rishi Kapoor shook a leg on this fantastic number for his film Hum Kisise Kum Nahi and the Jr has done a fabulous job on the title track of his own, with a little help from the film’s stylist Aki Narula and the three women — Minissha Lamba, Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu. “I was a little apprehensive at the thought of performing on dad’s number. But I eventually did it and the result is for you to judge,” says Ranbir.

Ranbir plays Raj in BAH, the quintessential charmer who sweeps women off their feet. The film talks about his relationships through 17 to 30 years of age where he meets three different women. Quite life-like? Responds Ranbir, “We have all had our share of relationships. We have been through the first crush, mere attractions and mature love. This film is a romantic comedy which looks at these relationships through my eyes and what they teach me about love and life.” That’s quiet reminiscent of his grandfather’s Mera Naam Joker which Raj Kapoor proclaimed was an onscreen ode to the relationships life had offered him. But mention this to Ranbir and he looks hurt. “I couldn’t even name my grandfather’s film in the same sentence as BAH. That was a classic; it was autobiographical. This one’s just a romantic comedy. There can be no comparison.”

A lot has been said about the involvement of Katrina Kaif in this movie adding a fourth track to the love relationship. “Yes, when we started there was a fourth chapter in Raj’s life but it had to be eventually dropped because we were running ahead of the length we wanted to keep the movie to,” says Ranbir.

Katrina Kaif has now signed two films with the Kapoor boy, Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti and Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani. Meanwhile, Ranbir has also bagged the next Karan Johar produced film by first-time director Ayaan Mukherjee. Tentatively titled Wake Up Sid, Ranbir will be seen with Konkona Sen Sharma.

It’s his second film and the stakes are quiet high. Admittedly he is nervous. “It’s not because Saawariya didn’t do well. My performance was liked and I don’t want to let that go. In Saawariya, Sanjay handheld me through the entire film, but I have grown up with Sid (BAH director Siddharth Anand). I have given a lot to this film in terms of look, feel and creative inputs unlike my first where I was following Sanjay all through. The experience is richer now,” he adds.

The Yash Raj banner has had a bad run in the last couple of years. Last year, four of its five films were ripped apart for their shoddy script. This year, it has had the disastrous Tashan and a cold turkey Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Is that giving him sleepless nights? “No. They have always made great movies. They have been the top notch filmmakers and will always remain so. It’s me who needs to prove things here.”

Source: The Hindu