At the outset when I meet him at his palatial bungalow in Bandra, Ranbir admits that having the tag of the Kapoor is definitely an advantage for him. “I am proud to be a Kapoor. Prithvirajji showed us the way like a beacon light. It is a legacy for me to carry forward as his great grandson. Of course the baggage of the Kapoors is there but then I cannot say that it is a disadvantage”. Though the film has been panned by critics unanimously, Ranbir is glad that he was launched by Sanjay Leela Bhansali with a film like Saawariya. “I was thrilled that I played the role of Ranbir Raj, which is actually my grandfather’s name, in the film. The starting point of my character in Saawariya was Raj Kapoor’s vagabond character in his film Shri 420. For a first time actor, it was quite a tough role to get into the skin of Ranbir Raj in Saawariya. It is Bhansali’s version of White Nights and not a copy of it. No actor can go wrong with this character”.
Ranbir admits that he learnt his passion and zest for acting from his dad. “I do not think that I am as passionate as my dad – Rishi Kapoor when it comes to acting. I like Bobby, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Sargam, Karz, and Chandni the best among my dad’s films and Do Kaliyaan, Kabhi Kabhie, Rafoo Chakkar, Priyatama and Doosara Aadmi among my mum’s films. I have learnt how to give values to certain things in life from my mother”. Ranbir said that he decided to join Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an assistant, since he had become a huge fan of Bhansali after he saw his film Devdas. “It was frankly my dream to get launched by a great filmmaker like Bhansali. I had this agenda to assist him on his sets so that he likes me enough to cast me in his next film though I did not know that he was planning to launch Saawariya at that point of time”.
When asked if the influence of being a superstar’s son got him a place in the film industry, Ranbir said that he didn’t ask his dad to introduce him to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Instead he said he had made a resume of himself and dropped it in his office like any newcomer would do. “I got a call from him the very next day when he took me as his assistant for Black. Sonam Kapoor in fact came after I was made the assistant. Dad is happy that my first grounding experience in acting was with Sanjay Leela Bhansali because he respects him a lot as a director, though he has not acted under his direction”. Ranbir also said that he may have bagged his break without any struggle but then he feels that his struggle has started only after the release of Saawariya. “I have to start now right from the scratch because people will naturally say that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was behind Saawariya. And hence I need my performance in my next film to speak for itself and prove that I am not a fluke actor”.
The actor feels that there is no difference between the art house and mainstream cinema as such. “It is a sorry state of affairs that the film industry is run by stars as far as the mainstream cinema is concerned. I want to work with filmmakers like Deepa Mehta as well as David Dhawan. I feel it is terrible to label makers like Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair as art house cinema directors”.
Ranbir confessed that loose talks in the media linking him with Nandita Mahtani and Deepika Padukone used to upset him a lot because it was becoming very awkward for him, when he used to meet them socially. “It even spoilt my relationship with them because they too have their own lives to lead and I have mine. My mother told me to take it easy and be aware that tomorrow if I am seen having lunch with a cousin of mine in a restaurant; the media would write that I am dating some young girl. Ultimately I am of the opinion that your work counts, not your link ups. Right now I am not serious about any woman because I am very focussed about my career after the release of Saawariya”. When asked if he was scared of competition as an actor in films, Ranbir said, “I think competition will make you work harder. Just like my dad, who said that he was excited before his first film Bobby was released, I was not nervous but very excited too when Saawariya was released. I kept my fingers crossed for people’s reaction to my performance. And I am glad that not even a single person has said that I was a bad actor after watching the film.”
Source: Afternoon
n wnt to meet u soon
