INTERVIEW WITH RANBIR KAPOOR - II

Who : Ranbir Kapoor
About : Hottest new actor on the block, Son of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor
Website: http://www.ranbirkapoor.net/(Fan site)

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Ranbir Kapoor
Interview Date: October, 2007
Place: N/A (Interview taken over phone)
Pics: None

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : First things first. Tell us in your own words about Saawariya the movie and about your role of Ranvir Raj in it.
Ranbir Kapoor(RK): Well, Saawariya primarily is a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. It’s a really simple, beautiful love story. And I play the character of Ranvir Raj who is a dreamer. He is a loner and a dreamer.

NT: What did you go through the very first time you had to face the camera and Mr. Bhansali said Action!
RK: Well, the thing is, Mr. Bhansali involved me at a very early process in Saawariya. We there from the pre production stages, we were a part of the scripting and the music and the set design. And I think that really helps us get into the film and get into our characters. We spoke a lot about our characters and by the time we were about to shoot, I think we were really well prepared.

And also yeah, you do feel nervous for the initial 10 seconds before he says action. And you know after that, after you pass your first shot, then it becomes easy at the top, a bit more glamorous I guess!

NT: You perhaps couldn’t have been launched by a better director. Even though you had assisted Mr. Bhansali during black, how was he to work under as a director?
RK: Well, it was always a dream to work with him. I have learnt so much from him when I was assisting him for Black. I learnt all about the film industry, I learnt about cinema, about acting, everything from him. So just working under him was a dream and I credit everything I know today about acting to him. I am proud to say that I am a graduate of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali school of cinema.

NT: The movie also stars two of the biggest stars in Bollywood, Rani Mukherjee and Salman Khan. Coming from a film family, you would have known them before but how exactly was the experience of sharing the same scene with them?
RK: Well I didn’t have the privilege to share any screen space with Salman sir, but he’s been really supportive of me. He treats me like a younger brother, advises me and guides me a lot. But I did have the privilege of working of working with Miss Rani Mukherjee and well, what can I say? She is such a fantastic actress, everybody knows that. And just working with her and just observing her on the set and going and doing a scene with her, when we both are in the same scene, it is so exhilarating. You especially have to keep up with her and that just makes your performance much better.

NT: What are your favourite memories of working with Rani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali?
RK: With Rani, I was part of the song called Chabeela which is on the soundtrack. Rani sings that song to me and all you have to do is look at her while she was doing the song. And it was so amazing. Because it was actually like she was the character of Gulab. It was actually like Gulab came to life, you know. She dances in front of me and her expressions in that song, I’ll always cherish that.

About Sanjay Sir, I remember, in our first schedule, I had this huge monologue. I had this two page monologue and I had to do it in one shot. I was really nervous and Mr. Bhansali spoke me through it. And then I just went and did the shot and the shot was okayed in two takes and you know, the whole set clapped. And during lunch break, he came to my room and said that, today I feel that an actor has arrived and I would want to have lunch with you in your room. I think that was a very nice moment for me.

NT: The music of the movie is beautiful and has a very serene and earthy feeling to it. What did you think the first time you heard the songs of Saawariya? Lyrics?
RK: Well I am too much in love with every aspect of Saawariya’s music. I was a part of the music from the music sittings to the composed compositions to actually recording the music. I have been part of the entire process. So everything was really special, all the songs are really special. All of them are my favourites.

The lyrics are really simple and beautiful. They are nothing that the people won’t understand. They are simple lyrics and that’s what works best, simple poetry which people can understand. They are very hummable songs. They are not songs which you cannot sing, so that’s really important.

NT: Which is the first song you shot? How did it feel accustomizing with the Bollywood song and dance routine?
RK: The first song song I shot was Mashallah. I was really nervous I remember I had messaged my dad. I messaged him saying I am really nervous, I need to go shoot the song and all. And he messaged me back saying you don’t have anything to be nervous about. You are a Kapoor and you have to just sing loudly and have fun and don’t have to act like you are singing but have to actually sing the song. Do it passionately. So I think it boosted my confidence and it went smooth after that.

NT: One of the highlights of the movie are the sets. Were you awed the first time you came to the sets?
RK: No, not at all. I was dying, you know. It was a lifelong dream for me to be a part of cinema and be an actor. The first day I was on the sets I was just waiting for him to call Action and it was a really exciting time for me.

NT: You had assisted Mr. Bhansali on Black and the sets that time were quite dark and suddenly you come to the Saawariya sets, you see a completely different thing. So what went through your mind when you first saw the sets?
RK: Black was supposed to be that way. That was the look of the film. That was the palette that was used for the making of that film and it suited the story. This was a completely new story and a completely new outlook to a film. And like I said, I was a part of the process of designing the sets so I was aware of it and I knew like it’s going to turn out to be stunning when you see it on the screen. And then, when the movie releases, you will realize yourself what magic has been created just by the sets. And the credit really goes to Mr. Omung Kumar, who is a fantastic production designer.

NT: Which is your favourite song of the movie?
RK: Well, I would say, Pari.

NT: What would you say is your favourite Saawariya moment?
RK: I would say the climax which was really challenging and was really hard. I am really proud of myself when I sit back and see the climax of the film. During the shooting of the movie, I cannot pinpoint one moment which was special to me, the entire process was very special. Working under Mr. Bhansali, working with Zohra Sehgal who worked with my great grand father Mr. Prithvi Raj Kapoor; she was his first leading lady. To work with her, everything has been really special. Every moment.

NT: Any memorable or funny incidents from the shooting that you'd like to recall for our readers?
RK: Well, I think I am a big klutz so there were a lot of funny moments. I don’t get embarrassed easily but there are a lot of times I keep falling down and things keep falling on me, so there were a lot of funny moments like that.

NT: What were your parents reactions when you first broke the news to your parents that Mr. Bhansali has signed you on? Did they know that you were hoping for it?
RK: Mr. Bhansali had actually called and told my parents and they were very happy for me because my father had always wanted me to work with Mr. Bhansali and so did my mom. I mean you don’t get bigger than this. So I think they were really proud and were really happy because I couldn’t have been a part of a better film and couldn’t have been under a better director.

NT: What advice did they give you individually?
RK: Like I said you know, they have always, subsconsciously told me all my life a few things about cinema and filmmaking. They haven’t really sat me down and said that okay now that you are becoming an actor these are the things you should do and these are the things you should not do. They’ve always been telling me small small things which have really stayed with me. So nothing in general that you know, these are the pointers you have to follow.

Both of them said that you really have to work hard and to not lose hope even if things don’t work out and then you should have the strength to work even harder, be passionate about it and be hard working. I think they wanted me to learn from their mistakes too.

NT: Growing up and seeing your sister sticking to a completely different path than Bollywood, were you ever in two minds about what you wanted to do in life or were you always sure you wanted to be an actor?
RK: No, I was always sure that wanted to be a part of films. I didn’t know what aspect of films I wanted to be a part of, whether it was acting or direction or production, but I always knew that I wanted to be a part of films.

NT: You assisted your father on Aa Ab Chalen. Was that the turning point of your life - the moment you decided that this is it, I want to be an actor and nothing else? Or was it something else?
RK: Actually, I had worked before on Prem Granth, a film that was directed by my Chacha, Mr. Rajiv Kapoor. I gave the clap on that and I guess, from there onwards, I became really passionate about filmmaking and being a part of the set, watching actors, creating life in cinema, that itself really attracted me to the process of filmmaking.

NT: You assisted Mr. Bhansali in Black hoping that he'd cast you one day. You were anyway getting a lot of offers. What was your plan B?
RK: Well I didn’t have a plan B. Because I didn’t think that it wouldn’t happen. I went there with a positive outlook to it, and I was really optimistic and I couldn’t think otherwise. I knew if this was my destiny and this was written for me, I knew I’d achieve it.

NT: You knew Sonam since quite a long time. Did that make it easier working opposite her or difficult?
RK: Absolutely easier. Because we are such good friends and we understand each other so well and that’s really important between two actors, the trust and understanding. There were no attitudes between us, there were no ego hassles, we were constantly supporting each other, encouraging each other, trying to make each other’s performance better, so I think it was really healthy and a really wonderful experience I shared with her.

NT: But didn’t it ever feel awkward even when you had to mouth romantic lines to her?
RK: Not at all, not at all. Sonam is such a beautiful girl, she is so beautiful that it made saying those romantic lines so much easier. In fact, I am so proud of her that she has come so far and she’s such a talented actress, she is so pretty, she is hard working, she is so passionate about her work. I am so proud of her.

NT: Though people say that star kids have it easy, isnt it particularly difficult for you considering your family's legacy and the expectations that are attached to you?
RK: Well there is a good side and the bad side. The good side is that you get your first break, there is a curiosity about you, people go and see you, they recognize you and they know you. The bad side is that there is so much expectations, there is so much pressure, there is comparison. People are going to criticize everything about you, they’d probably get into personal criticism about you. I mean there are good sides and bad sides to everything but I completely understand that it comes with the territory and I am prepared for it. And I signed up for it and I have no qualms about it all.

NT: So, how did your first autograph feel?
RK: Well it felt great. Like I said, there are a few things in life that you always dream of, your first autograph, your first trailer, your first banner, and everything was really special. My first autograph was in Poona when I had gone there on some work and that’s where I signed it. It felt really special.

NT: Finally, tell us why you think Saawariya as a movie and not as your launch, is a must see for the audience?
RK: Well I wouldn’t want to say that it’s a different film. I wouldn’t want to profess anything. It’s a beautiful, simple love story. Give it a watch. It’s a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, you cannot get bigger than that!

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)

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