After the superhit ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ Ranbir Kapoor is on a high and he hopes to continue it with his next film ‘Besharam’, directed by Abhinav Kashyap of ‘Dabangg’ fame.
As a first, Ranbir worked with his parents Rishi and Neetu in Besharam. Talking about the experience, he says, “Like most kids in India, I too would let my wishes known to my dad through my mom. I could never look into my dad’s eyes while speaking to him. However, on the sets I would act as if I was their father. But I would get nervous while acting with dad. He is a natural and would never overact.”
“In real life I can never disrespect my parents but for ‘Besharam’, I had to call my dad names like Motu, Kung fu Pandey, Dharti par bojh etc.,” he adds.
Talking about how the family was roped in for ‘Besharam’, Ranbir says, “I am happy that this film did not come as a combo deal to us. Each one of us was narrated their roles separately. I play a chor while my parents play cops.”
About Salman Khan recently complimenting him, he says, “I think it is very sweet of him. It feels great to hear such compliments from an actor of his calibre. This makes it evident that our seniors are not insecure.”
About defeating Shah Rukh Khan, “I do not think I have the potential. I won’t take the credit for the success of Yeh Jawaani… I think that the buzz around the Deepika–Ranbir pairing helped garner positivity during the promotions.”
Ranbir is also candid about his relationship with former flame Deepika Padukone. “She is my friend and shall always remain my friend.” Coming back to Besharam, he adds, “It is a masala film. I’m also doing a film titled Jagga Jasoos…. We are producing it under my banner, Abhi Picture Shuru Production. Anurag Basu and I are jointly doing it.”
A lot has been discussed about his relationship with Katrina Kaif but Ranbir does not want to go into it. “Katrina too is a special friend to me,” he says, adding, “I do not want my personal life to be hyped. Wait until I am married.”
He also says that he doesn’t want to work with his family banner, R.K. Films, right now. “My father Rishi Kapoor, Rajeev Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and with my dadi (Krishna) are the proprietors. If they decide on a good script, we will take it further.”
Ranbir has now worked with the director brothers Anurag and Abhinav Kashyap. “They are like the Moon and the Sun. In Bombay Velvet, I play a boxer during the fifties and the sixties. While Anurag makes intense films, Abhinav is good at expressing very simple things, naturally. I loved working with both,” he says.
About his cousins Kareena and Karishma Kapoor, Ranbir says, “I am proud of them. One script had come to us (him and Kareena) but it did not materialise.
“I remember during my childhood days, we would go for lunch to our dadaji’s place (Raj Kapoor). He would make us do pranam and then would offer a toffee. He would also make us sing Awara hoon…”
Finally, he praises the ailing Dilip Kumar: “I can never forget how he had visited me when my debut film Saawariya had released. He had come at the gates of my bungalow and asked my chowkidar,’ Sahabzade Ranbir ko bulaiye!’ I was shocked to see him there. He was sitting in the car and blessed me for my performances in the film. I wish Dilip Saab all the good health.”
