The happy-go-lucky and spirited Ranveer Singh revealed a new and sensitive side as he answered all our questions with a heartfelt genuineness. Ranveer, who was caught up with print interviews and business meetings before leaving for the shoot of Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, thankfully spared a few moments for us. Busy as ever, he was super enthusiastic about his forthcoming long foreign schedule. In a freewheeling chat, Ranveer spoke about his exciting projects, the chemistry with Deepika and the protectiveness he felt for Anushka Sharma. Read on...
For Dil Dhadhakne Do', you will be on ship for nearly two months, docking in some of Europe's most historic cities. This is bound to be a new film experience for you...
It's the most unique shooting prospect, definitely. Five weeks on a ship, and four weeks in Turkey, and some unusual places in Turkey. We will be docking in Antalia, Barcelona, Rome, Florence and some other cities. Its going to be a blast! The coming together of incredibly talented people with really different energies. It's my first fully international located film. Overall, this is my seventh film, and I am looking forward to it! I have shot one song for GUNDAY in Oman, and that's about it when it comes to shooting abroad.
More than the shooting experience, I am excited about the material. Zoya & Reema are one of the best writing teams, and the writing for this film is golden, man! I am so happy that we have been able to put together this ensemble cast. So this has to be the film ever! I hope that we are able to do justice to this, and make a great film together!
With ZNMD, Zoya brought out more than the standard acting with her star cast. Your film has an even bigger cast with Anil, Priyanka, Anushka & Farhan. Do you find this intimidating, or exciting?
I have never been on an ensemble this big! I am so excited. There's Zoya, who is a strong personality herself. And working with Anil Kapoor, who was my childhood hero, is a dream come true. Amitabh Bachchan, the Khans, Govinda and Anil Kapoor were larger than life heroes. Now this chance of working with Govinda in KILL DILL and Anil Kapoor in this film gives me a chance to collaborate with my childhood icons.
Anushka and I have been a very loved pair after BAND BAAJA BARAAT, because of our onscreen chemistry. I was just waiting for the next time to work with her again. I have learned so much from her because she is a natural talent on screen, one of the best young actors of the country. We work together very well for we have a sort of contrast of energies, and that makes for great watching. I collaborated successfully in GUNDAY with Priyanka. Here she plays my sister, and in BAJIRAO MASTANI she works with me again as my wife. My roles with Priyanka are a testimony to the audience's maturity, where they understand that different actors have different character dynamics in different projects.
And then there's Farhan- he writes, directs, acts! I have been an admirer of his work, he is an auteur in his own right. Zoya has managed to bring together this incredibly talented cast, and a lot of secondary and tertiary characters who each have something to contribute. She has a unique voice, her films are fresh and original. But the one thing that attracts me most to her as a director, is that, the values that her films propagate are those that I believe in.
Did you have to pick between SHUDDHI and BAJIRAO MASTANI? What really happened there?
Well, I am committed to BAJIRAO MASTANI, it wouldn't be fair to comment on a film that I am not doing. Karan is one of the premier producers of India, and I have a great amount of respect for his films and his role as a producer. Dharma has so much goodwill and a great reputation. A lot of professionals say Dharma is a great production house to make a film with. I completely look forward to acting for them. So I am awaiting a chance to work with Karan, he has an incredibly astute mind, a great business mind, and is a fabulously creative thinker. And more than that, he is just a cool guy! I love his company, he is absolutely hilarious, he makes for great conversation. I love his company and would absolutely cherish a chance to work with him.
You have been linked to Anushka in the past, although you never confirmed if you were ever dating. What's your personal equation with her like? Were you ever dating, for you young actors never confirm your relationship status
Well, I would not like you to slot me with other young actors, I believe I am unique in my own way. I would like to still believe, that while there IS a breed of young actors, but I would like to consider myself apart from that. Between BAND BAAJA BARAAT and Ladies Versus Ricky Behl, Anushka and I worked together for nearly two years and would hang out together a lot. This led people to believe that we were romantically involved, which we weren't. That said, I think, she is one of the most genuine and honest people that I have ever met. I have been noticing that she is misunderstood by media. This is unfair, and really grinds my gears. Having known her, she's got the cleanest heart, she is just too honest a person for a cut throat, competitive, shark infested industry. That's what makes her often misunderstood. It infuriates me to no end, when I spot something unkind written about her in the tabloids, because I am really protective about her. She taught me so many things about the craft, so many things about being a public figure. You could say that I have held her little finger to enter the film industry. She is younger than me, but she has been a great guide. That makes me all the more protective.
By shark- infested industry, you mean?
You know, it is cut throat. We have all entered the industry and are working very hard to get somewhere. In order to survive in this industry, if we need to evolve into alligators and sharks, its completely understandable. Its just that this outstanding person, an outsider, refuses to subscribe to that, to bow down to that, to mutate into a shark, to conform, and that makes her rebel that she is. I think she is born to be an actor.
Deepika mentioned in an interview that Ranveer is God's own child. She was referring to shooting RAM LEELA with you. Its evident you guys share a close bond, how did you strike this chord?
RAM LEELA is a very intense experience, and working on an intense experience it is bound to bring two people together. So I grew very close to her during the shoot. She is a wonderful person, not many people know about this, she has a great sense of humour. And she is very fun loving. She is also another person who has come a very long way in her craft. I will admit this to you, I saw RAM LEELA just once before it's release. Very recently, I wasn't getting sleep, and I decided to watch it on DVD and I realized that she is incredible. Watching it on TV at home is different than watching it prior to release in a screening theatre, when you are too involved with the project. I told her, watching it a second time, that you are incredible! I was shocked, when Mr Bhansali puts up a close up of hers, she's got these gigantic eyes, and they convey everything that she is feeling inside! I couldn't believe I missed all this the first time around. I admire her as an actor, the kind of comfort level that she has in front of the camera is astounding, and effortless. She is not acting, she is just being. That's when a performer takes a role to another level, you feel like watching a real person, Leela feels like a real person. I am extremely fond of her at a personal level, and am really proud of her, and am lucky and blessed to have her as MASTANI. We were much loved as a couple in RAM LEELA. And Bhansali's magnum opus, the way BAJIRAO MASTANI is shaping up, RAM LEELA feels like a warm up!
Do you regret the fact that LOOTERA despite being a beautiful film, with a lyrical quality, and a subtle, saluted performance from you, didn't do well at the box office?
Box office success... for me films are an art form, but at the end of the day, it's a commercial art form. It's business. For some people who view it as trade, LOOTERA was not a huge hit. At the same time, no one lost money on it, everyone recovered. In terms of critical acclaim, the film got a great response which was fabulous. Four stars all around, Vikram got appreciated, Sonakshi's performance and my performance were appreciated. The film is very close to my heart, It is possibly my favourite film of mine, after Band Baaja Baraat. The box office didn't bother me much, I knew the film wouldn't make it much money. But the film has a timeless quality to it, it's not preppy, It's a film that you can watch 20 years later and would still bring a tear to your eye. I am very proud of it. Vikram managed to bring out something in my performance which surprised me. The film has a stand out quality.I was a bit perturbed that it didn't receive the kind of recognition it deserves in the awards circuit. That was surprising, honestly. But it's fine. Lootera to me is a very big step in my career, and from my perspective, a very successful film.
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