Ranveer Singh proves his mettle with Lootera. Filmfare takes note
He’s bouncing off the walls. There are way too many things happening when he’s around you. One minute, he’s hugging you, the next he’s doing a dance step, the next he’s wrestling with your arms, then he’s back to hugging you, another dance step, yo baby! Talking at jetspeed at an octave higher than the normal. You’re storm tossed. To be around Ranveer Singh is to be sucked into a tornado. His vigour isn’t for the faint-hearted. He simply takes your breath away. We’re at a tony eatery in the suburbs. And he’s on a high after Lootera. The movie may not have the numbers but it’s garnered sufficient critical acclaim for him to rejoice. And rejoice he does. Heads turn when he moves through the restaurant. Fan types line up for autographs and photographs. He obliges everyone. His eyes twinkle, “They left with a smile, aur kya chahiye life mein. You have to understand that you’re blessed with the ability to do that. People say tum crowd dekhte ho, tum kud jaate ho. My manager shouts at me. I went for dahi handi once in Worli. There was a crowd of some 5,00,000 people and I jumped in between them. I loved it.” It’s these high-on-octane antics that set him apart from the rest of his colleagues. And of course that talent which is taking him places. He was levitated into stardom with Band Baaja Baaraat. With Lootera he’s proved he’s no fly-by-night stranger. He’s no random new entrant, no one film wonder. He’s here to stay. Sure enough he’s discarded his Twitter handle @Randomsingh. For he’s random no more.
Q. How did Lootera happen?
It started with Udaan. I was blown away by the movie. What craft, what emotions! I couldn't believe it was the director’s first movie. His creative mind seemed class apart. I included Vikramaditya Motwane in the list of directors I wanted to work with. I met him at the Filmfare Awards. I was getting my pictures clicked after winning the Debut Award for Band Baaja Baaraat. And he was in line to click his pictures. He had four to five trophies in his hand. I introduced myself and told him if he ever had any work for me, I’d love to explore the prospect. He said he had something. We met a few days later at Otter’s Club. And he gave me a bound script saying it’s a period romance, read it and tell me what you think about it. I began reading it and thought kuch toh baat hai, then I was like Ohhh... Post interval after reading the chase, I was blown. I cried at the end. I thought with this material, this kind of director would only take it 10 notches higher. I consulted Adi (Chopra) Shaad (Ali) and Maneesh (Sharma). They said go for it.
Q. How tough was it playing the role, considering you’re bouncing with energy always?
Very tough. We started doing workshops. For the first three days, I couldn’t get the character. Vikram kept shaking his head. It was frustrating because validation is important for an actor. On the third day, Vikram took me for a walk and gave me a pep talk. His tone was almost scolding. He said I want your sensitive, vulnerable side – the side you don’t show to anyone. In fact it’s so vulnerable that you don’t show it to the world. You are scared that people will take advantage of you. That is what you have to tap into for Lootera. He told me you’re predisposed to certain things that restrict you as an actor. Why do you have to entertain people all the time? Why do you have to enter a room and make people laugh or defuse the tension or mediate if there’s conflict? If there’s conflict, let it clear by itself. You are not obliged to make people laugh all the time. You’re not a jester. You have intensity, a range of emotions; you’re sensitive. Why are you scared to go there? Why are you so under confident as an actor that I have to give you dialogue to communicate. Why don’t you just control your body language? Why don’t you just be? He said trust me, trust the camera. Your only job is to feel it from within. Your eyes will tell me everything I want to know. I will translate that to the audience the way I want to. I got it after that. It just started flowing.
Q. Did you ever feel you had bitten off more than you could chew?
On the third day of the workshop, I was like yeh maine kya choose kar liya. I thought the audience would spit on me. But on another level I was excited that I was attempting something so difficult. I’ve not used glycerin, I’ve not faked it. If you see me raging in the film, I was raging that day. Every pore of mine felt sadness; every pore of mine felt rage. Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra laugh at me saying, ‘Haven’t you heard of acting?’. I told them how I played the scene where I’m hit by a bullet. You have to convey that pain. I’ve never experienced that, so how do I convey it? I decided to put paper clamps around that area. When Vikram discussed this with Shyam Kaushal the action director, he laughed and said usko bolo thodi acting kar le. Anyway, I’d clamp that area. After a while the clamps numb your body. So just before the shot I would shake the clamp and the pain would sear through my body. Some people say tum method acting kyun karte ho. I’ll do whatever it takes behind the scenes to convince you on screen. If I can convince you on screen about my pain that’s all that matters. I’ve grown through the film. For the first time I played such an intense character, for the first time I had no dialogue really to speak. I understood on paper that it wasn’t an author-backed role. The girl has your sympathy throughout the story. The guy is doing one bad thing after the other. So it was a difficult part to play. Even Vikram will agree that Pakhi’s character was clear in his head but Varun’s character was always work in progress.
Q. Lootera hasn’t garnered the kind of numbers it was expected to. Any regret?
The barometer of success is not always the numbers. Band Baaja Baaraat did a business of Rs 22 crore and is a hit. Lootera has already crossed Rs 25 crore and is a profitable venture by a large margin. So are numbers our barometer? No. Andaz Apna Apna flopped, Sholay flopped in the first two weeks of its release. But don’t these films live on? Dil Chahta Hai didn’t do well but it changed the landscape of Hindi cinema. Rockstar just recovered its money but what a film! People tell me they’ve seen Band Baaja Baaraat several times. The DVD wala says the movie is forever rented and never available in his store. When it’s shown on TV, I get at least five text messages, ‘watching BBB what a delight’. That’s why no regrets with Lootera, regardless the numbers it is getting. For people to say yeh Indian film lagti nahi hai, yeh international film hai, is something. Vikram thinks it's timeless cinema. Lootera will be considered a beautiful piece of cinema. It’s also the most critically acclaimed mainstream film in a long time. So no regrets.
Q. So would you rather have critical acclaim or the numbers?
The idea is to do something where you find a midpoint. Frankly, I don’t understand business. I can make the audience laugh, I can make them cry. But I don’t understand picture kitne mein bani, kitne mein biki. Just for curiosity I ask these questions. The day I do a project that is designed to do numbers that will be the death of me as an artiste. I’m happy I’m bad at numbers. Only then I will do movies like Band Baaja Baaraat and Lootera. Otherwise I will do brainless three-figure film. I don’t care much for most of the films in the 100-crore-club.
Q. Have you felt devastated in love?
Yes. It was like the world around me had shattered. I used to walk around for months with a cloud on my head. And everyone would notice it because people knew what I was like otherwise. They’d sense my dark mood within 10-15 seconds of meeting me. And would worriedly ask me, ‘Are you okay?’ It went on for three months, it was a dark period. I felt devastated as if the soul had been sucked out of me. I felt like a zombie, like a dhancha of flesh and blood. But you learn.
Q. To what extreme have you gone for the love of your life?
Extreme! That’s exactly how I would define myself. I’m a clear cut example of what extreme is. Agar ghus gaya character mein toh ghus hi gaya. Maybe I’m nuts. Sometimes I prefer to be all alone, sometimes you’ll see me at the centre of a crowd. I’m still figuring out myself. But what I can tell you is that I shuttle between extremes. And I’m an extremist and that applies to me when I’m in love. Agar deta hoon toh jaan deta hoon.
Q. It’s being whispered that Anushka Sharma and you are not on talking terms…
She is busy ya. So am I. She is doing multiple films, so am I. I don’t see her at YRF studios anymore. That’s where I used to bump into her usually. But we are not as close as before. She is a lovely girl and a golden soul, God’s child and I miss her a lot.
Q. So you do miss her?
Yes. I miss her tremendously. She is full of love. Too many people have misunderstood her. Too many people just don’t get where she is coming from and the kind of person that she is. She is one of the purest and honest people I have ever met. It’s a big thing to say therefore it may sound to the reader like an exaggeration. Honestly, I’ve met few people who have nothing but purity in their heart and soul. I get angry when I read negative articles about her. It infuriates me more than my own negative articles.
Q. It’s also being said that Deepika Padukone is the reason she broke up with you…
No nothing like that.
Q. Is it true that Deepika and you are BFFs?
Was that me or she said that about Ranbir Kapoor?
Q. Okay, what's going on between you two?
Deepika and I are doing Ram Leela and I’m having a great time working with her. She is cool and awesome to work with. She’s chilled out. She’s doing well and is in a rich vein of form right now. I found the best time to work with her and ya she’s fun to hang out with. She may think she’s socially awkward but she’s very much a people's person. She and I can talk for hours and never run out of conversation. I love her vibe; she’s so calm, like a Buddhist monk. She’s an extremely warm person, genuine and very, very kind to one and all. Beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.
Q. Rumours insist there is more than friendship between you.
Rumours are rumours. It’s their function to insist.
Q. There’s no smoke without fire…
That’s such a cliché yaar. We have evolved. Just because we hang out, go for dinners, people shouldn't read too much into it.
Q. Are you upset that you were supposed to do Bombay Velvet initially and Ranbir is doing it now?
There were date issues, you can't do every film na. I’d have loved to do Bombay Velvet. I love the script and the character but it didn’t work out between me and the producers. They said it was a date issue. I’m still looking forward to seeing the movie because one of my favourite actors is playing the part. He always does something interesting. I admire Anurag Kashyap’s work. And I believe Ranbir and Anushka will have cracking chemistry.
Q. So, Anurag approached you first, is that correct?
Ya, I was approached. We tried to work it out amongst ourselves but we couldn’t.
Q. What happened there?
There was a date issues which he foresaw. I understand his point of view and I respect that. I tried to work it out. It didn’t. But I’m happy, I have Ram Leela.
Q. Sanjay Bhansali is known to be a task master. How are you coping with him?
I’m having a blast working with Mr Bhansali. I go back every day feeling fulfilled. People say his temper is out of control. But whose temper is not out of control? Why do you target him? I get angry with people who point a finger at him. His film is his life. His every breath is for his film. He has a vision. If anything comes in the way of achieving that vision, he won’t stand it. I respect a director who does that. I’d rather have an angry passionate director than a detached, dispassionate one. Mr Bhansali makes you perform. He brings things out of you from depths you never thought you had. I spoke to two actors who have worked with him. One of them said you think it’s a big deal for you to work with Mr Bhansali at this stage.You will never know what a big thing it is to work with Mr Bhansali in your fourth film. You are blessed. The other actor said Mr Bhansali will throw you a challenge, whether you live up to that challenge is the point. Of course, he challenges. He will give a twist to the scene, add or minus a dialogue. Or he’ll give you two pages of dialogue to say on the spot.
Q. Are you living up to the challenge?
I don’t know how I’m doing. That’s for the audience to judge. What I can tell you is that it’s definitely a challenge and extremely demanding. Mr Bhansali told me recently that he doesn’t have a take on Ram anymore. He said I wrote the character but you’ve made it your own and you’re doing something with it that surprises me every day. You have added so much that the character cannot be called mine anymore. I’m just going with the flow.
0 comments:
Post a Comment