Posted:
The sight of Ram Kapoor in Humshakals', dressed in drag and running on a beach, might make you to think that he's lost the plot but scratch the surface and you'll see a man with a plan.
His innings on the hit TV show
Bade Acche Laggte Hai' have
officially ended, but Ram is
excited about the way ahead in
Bollywood. We sat down with the
actor to discuss his weight, his
journey in Bollywood and reality
checks along the way. Excerpts
from the interview:
Let's start off discussing
Humshakals and the cross-
dressing.
Was it hard for Sajid
Khan to convince you to do this
role?
(Laughs) Please believe me when
I say this - I've been dying to do
this kind of stuff. The minute Saj
asked it of me, I said, "Done".
Why?
See, I have been very lucky in TV.
I'm a household name, I have
fame, I have money but I've also
been stuck doing the same role
for years because the show is so
successful. As an artiste, my
growth stopped and that's why
I've been dying to do character
work in films. I'm offering more
variety than I ever did.
So it wasn't awkward at all?
I'm not the sort that gets
embarrassed easily. If I were,
could I have been this fat and still
done the work I do? Jokes
cracked at my weight haven't
stopped but I think they've
worked to my advantage. All our
lives we get to see actors who
are trying to look their best and
on the other hand, there I was,
playing a real person, being a
real person.
The real person is fat. The real
person has problems. The real
person is insecure and it's one of
the reasons why I think the
show worked. And so, I'm too in
love with myself to feel ashamed
or shy about dressing up like a
girl. I've got assets and I've got
faults and I'm equally happy with
them both.
As you rightly pointed out ,
you're an insanely popular
television star. So why are you
choosing to be part of
ensemble films and play
supporting roles in Bollywood?
Because I'm a realist. I'm a big
name in TV, I'm aware of that.
However I also understand that
that in no way means that I can
dictate my terms in Bollywood.
I'm keenly aware of my journey
in TV. It took me ten years to get
where I am. I started out doing
stuff for as little as Rs 1500 a day
but things got better.
It's been the same with
Bollywood. I was prepared to do
anything, but use everything as
stepping stones to bigger and
better stuff out there. Just like TV,
I'm ready to give ten years to
make it in films. You might see it
as just another supporting role
but I consider myself really lucky...
Lucky?
Yes, lucky! Listen, I know TV and I
can tell you that every single
actor in television, no matter
how small or big, is dying to
make it in Bollywood, but only a
handful are getting
opportunities. I might be called
TV's Salman Khan, but I am fully
aware I'm a nobody in
Bollywood. And I think that
because others in TV don't think
the way I do, they are losing out.
There's a lot of good talent in TV,
hardworking people who know
their job, but because they only
want work of a certain kind in
films, they are cutting themselves
short.
So you're happy with how your
Bollywood career's panned out
so far...
Absolutely. My manager and I had
a plan for every year with hopes
that we'd get to the next level
slowly but surely, but even we
did not expect so much to come
to us as soon as it did. At the
start, I was taking up movie
projects made on shoestring
budgets of Rs 2 crore or less and
accepting payments as little as Rs
5 lakh, but times are changing
and I chalk it all to down to the
choices I made.
For example, take my two scene
part in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' that
had my TV colleagues going, Kya
kar raha hai tu yaar'. But we
knew what we were doing. We
wanted to get into Dharma and
from there, into Yashraj and
boom, it happened. Ek Main Aur
Ekk Tu' got me Student Of The
Year' that got me Mere Dad Ki
Maruti' that got me Humshakals'
and now I've even got projects in
which I'm playing the lead in
three projects.
read more at-m.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/weight-jokes-dont-bother-me-ram-kapoor-154365.html
His innings on the hit TV show
Bade Acche Laggte Hai' have
officially ended, but Ram is
excited about the way ahead in
Bollywood. We sat down with the
actor to discuss his weight, his
journey in Bollywood and reality
checks along the way. Excerpts
from the interview:
Let's start off discussing
Humshakals and the cross-
dressing.
Was it hard for Sajid
Khan to convince you to do this
role?
(Laughs) Please believe me when
I say this - I've been dying to do
this kind of stuff. The minute Saj
asked it of me, I said, "Done".
Why?
See, I have been very lucky in TV.
I'm a household name, I have
fame, I have money but I've also
been stuck doing the same role
for years because the show is so
successful. As an artiste, my
growth stopped and that's why
I've been dying to do character
work in films. I'm offering more
variety than I ever did.
So it wasn't awkward at all?
I'm not the sort that gets
embarrassed easily. If I were,
could I have been this fat and still
done the work I do? Jokes
cracked at my weight haven't
stopped but I think they've
worked to my advantage. All our
lives we get to see actors who
are trying to look their best and
on the other hand, there I was,
playing a real person, being a
real person.
The real person is fat. The real
person has problems. The real
person is insecure and it's one of
the reasons why I think the
show worked. And so, I'm too in
love with myself to feel ashamed
or shy about dressing up like a
girl. I've got assets and I've got
faults and I'm equally happy with
them both.
As you rightly pointed out ,
you're an insanely popular
television star. So why are you
choosing to be part of
ensemble films and play
supporting roles in Bollywood?
Because I'm a realist. I'm a big
name in TV, I'm aware of that.
However I also understand that
that in no way means that I can
dictate my terms in Bollywood.
I'm keenly aware of my journey
in TV. It took me ten years to get
where I am. I started out doing
stuff for as little as Rs 1500 a day
but things got better.
It's been the same with
Bollywood. I was prepared to do
anything, but use everything as
stepping stones to bigger and
better stuff out there. Just like TV,
I'm ready to give ten years to
make it in films. You might see it
as just another supporting role
but I consider myself really lucky...
Lucky?
Yes, lucky! Listen, I know TV and I
can tell you that every single
actor in television, no matter
how small or big, is dying to
make it in Bollywood, but only a
handful are getting
opportunities. I might be called
TV's Salman Khan, but I am fully
aware I'm a nobody in
Bollywood. And I think that
because others in TV don't think
the way I do, they are losing out.
There's a lot of good talent in TV,
hardworking people who know
their job, but because they only
want work of a certain kind in
films, they are cutting themselves
short.
So you're happy with how your
Bollywood career's panned out
so far...
Absolutely. My manager and I had
a plan for every year with hopes
that we'd get to the next level
slowly but surely, but even we
did not expect so much to come
to us as soon as it did. At the
start, I was taking up movie
projects made on shoestring
budgets of Rs 2 crore or less and
accepting payments as little as Rs
5 lakh, but times are changing
and I chalk it all to down to the
choices I made.
For example, take my two scene
part in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' that
had my TV colleagues going, Kya
kar raha hai tu yaar'. But we
knew what we were doing. We
wanted to get into Dharma and
from there, into Yashraj and
boom, it happened. Ek Main Aur
Ekk Tu' got me Student Of The
Year' that got me Mere Dad Ki
Maruti' that got me Humshakals'
and now I've even got projects in
which I'm playing the lead in
three projects.
read more at-m.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/weight-jokes-dont-bother-me-ram-kapoor-154365.html
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