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Uninhibited star

here to stay
Last Updated 26 November 2016, 18:39 IST

After the six biggest names in Bollywood today, he probably ranks next (at least higher than every other hero today) in both his track record as well as star charisma. Ranveer Singh’s recent hits include his twin Sanjay Leela Bhansali towers Goliyon Ki RasLeela Ram-Leela (2013) and Bajirao Mastani (2015).

He began his career with a hit, Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and saw success in Ladies vs Ricky Behl (2011) too. What’s more, he has been appreciated for his part in Lootera and as the heart-on-his-sleeve criminal in Kill Dil, not to forget his hilarious one-scene cameo as a Goan bridegroom in Finding Fanny. In a way, he has accounted for all his three films that did not make money. Now, he is all set to release Aditya Chopra’s directorial, Befikre.

As transparent as glass in his six-year career is Ranveer’s passion for acting and his warm, outgoing nature, veering towards what staid people would term ‘over-the-top’ or even ‘crazy’. When we meet up, he dishes out a hyper-enthusiastic welcoming hug, a crazy ensemble of expression from mock-villainous to mock-furious to the mimicry of a small child and ribs co-star Vaani Kapoor, also present in the room, relentlessly. It’s all an inseparable part of the ‘Singh-along’ conversations we have being having with him on more than half-a-dozen occasions now.

Baring his soul

We first talk about his sinewy look in the film. He guffaws, “My director told me, ‘Better go to a gym for essaying the character of Dharam’. So, here we were in lovely Paris with so much great food, but I could barely eat it. Still, there was this shot in which I had to eat Nutella, and man, I took full advantage! My strict trainer could not say anything as I told him that it was a must for the sequence.”

But what about the scene in which he is sporting just a brief? The always unpredictable Ranveer actually gets serious and replies, “You know, I am very comfortable with my body. I am more besharam (devoid of shame) that way! And to be honest, physical nudity is not important for me and I have no inhibitions.” Giving us the feel that he is a very serious thinker, he reasons, “By becoming my characters and letting you watch me, I am actually letting you into a much more intimate part of me — my soul. I cannot be more naked than that.” Sure.

He is thrilled that the film has received a clear UA certificate and wants to distribute diet laddoos to celebrate. “It vindicates the nature of the film!” he says. “It’s a family movie with a desi heart, and will leave you with a happy-wali feeling. Aditya Chopra is that rare, full-on mainstream filmmaker who mixes a wide-spectrum approach with credibility. His films are subtle, nuanced but not the type that no one understands.”

He feels that it says a lot about the film that even the kisses are “full of love and warmth, the kind that will not make you cover the eyes of your kids!” He emphasises that they are not of the “hot” kind that he has done before and reminds us of his sensual song ‘Ang laga de re’ from Goliyon... by singing it. “Isn’t my voice sweet?” he wants to know. “But this Arijit Singh has a monopoly, so no one’s giving me a chance to sing.”
Ranveer stresses that his director made the Befikre shoot very casual with “long shots and no workshops or prep. I asked Adi-sir what he wanted me to be in the film, and he replied, ‘Don’t over-think, come fresh and happy and go about it that way.’ I think the fun we had during shooting shows in the film. We were all in a beautiful place with a beautiful co-actor — what more do I ask for? Befikre was my best shooting experience ever.”

He raves on, “We were shooting light humorous scenes, improvising and collaborating with sharp, creative minds. It was a wonderful experience, and one of the happiest phases of my life, and of Adi-sir’s life, if I may say so on his behalf.”

The film, he reveals, speaks about relationships. “It asks people not to give tags to relationships, or to put them in a box. Though I am personally a little more traditional, as my foundation years saw very little of the Internet, social media or today’s connectivity. But I am seeing a tectonic shift in relationships around the world, not just in Indian youth. They are very sure of themselves, and when I interacted with the directorial team — all young members — I understood how liberal they were. Actually, the whole Befikre experience has been a learning one for me.”

How does Ranveer feel about stepping into Shah Rukh Khan’s territory, as Befikre is Aditya’s first directorial without the superstar in it? “I think I am the least territorial person. I like to take things as they come,” he muses. “Adi-sir had spoken to me before starting this film. I am happy and proud that my mentor chose me. Just the fact that I was directed by him here makes the film special.”

Imitating his mentor and director (“Because you guys in the media have never met him, so let me give you all a sneak peek”), Ranveer lets on how the director originally wanted to hand over his script to another director. “But he soon decided that his vision of the film needed only him to shape it.”

On doctor’s orders

Calling Befikre falling into his lap “just what the doctor ordered” between two intense films — Bajirao Mastani and the forthcoming Bhansali epic Padmavati — Ranveer admits that it was the right movie at the right time. “Bajirao... was a physically and mentally draining film. Earlier too, I had fun doing Dil Dhadakne Do after the intense Lootera.” The doctor sure seems to be ordering the right things for this star.

Ranveer is the only actor to do multiple films with Aditya (including three as producer only) and Bhansali. “I am more proud of the fact that after Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, I am the third common actor to both the directors,” he preens. “But I have learnt from every director I worked with — Zoya Akhtar, Maneesh Sharma, Shaad Ali and Vikramaditya Motwane.”

Ranveer had earlier mentioned that he believed in method acting till Bhansali made him shake off the fixation and go natural. Going a shade amnesic, he tells us, “I never said that I am a method actor, because even the guy who invented method acting must have later, in his old and senile days, confessed that what he had said was utter rubbish.” Grinning savagely, he adds, “But yes, I have a process for each film.”

We joke that Vaani has said that he was a better “kisser” than her previous co-actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Drawls Ranveer with a mock leer: “Ahh! How nicely have I brainwashed her!” But he also lavishes praise on his heroine: “She is a sweetheart. In fact, she’s too sweet. She brings great energy too. It is rare that a co-star’s energy affects and energises me. She’s always in the moment, extremely hardworking and very passionate about work and her films. But, most importantly, she’s a lovely person.”

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(Published 26 November 2016, 15:16 IST)

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