Art knows no borders and I definitely would: Ranbir Kapoor on working with Pakistani artists

Actor, while addressing crowd in Saudi Arabia, congratulated the makers of 'The Legend of Maula Jatt'

Bollywood's heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor is one of many stars who have made their way to the second edition of Saudi Arabia's much-glamourised Red Sea International Film Festival.

Kapoor’s passion for cinema comes across as genuinely heartfelt. In the viral videos from the film festival, hearing him talk about his craft, it is hard not to wish Kapoor the greatest success, which he has amassed after several years of hard work. If there is one thing that you notice as soon as Ranbir starts talking about films, his own or otherwise, is that he is admiringly ardent about them.

Growing up in a film family, surrounded by people involved in the different aspects of filmmaking has definitely left him well-versed aesthetically and technically. More than anything else though, you get a strong sense of Kapoor speaking not only as someone who is involved in the process of creating cinema but also as a member of the audience.

"Saudi Arabia is making a lot of efforts for film production and is making amazing arrangements. I know Shah Rukh Khan was shooting here, a lot of shooting is going to happen in Jeddah and Riyadh," he first spoke about working in Saudi Arabia.

Working with Pakistani artists

In a conversation with the fans and media at the GQ meet and greet, the Sanju star opened up about working with his counterparts on this side of the border, while congratulating the Pakistani film industry for producing record-breaking projects.

One fan asked if Kapoor would work with Pakistani actors and filmmakers. Pakistani artists have been banned from working in India since 2016. “Art knows no borders and I definitely would. In fact, I would like to congratulate Pakistani cinema on the huge success of [The Legend of] Maula Jatt," he said.

Star-studded period film The Legend of Maula Jatt, which was released in October, recently became the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time. Kapoor said he was a fan of popular Pakistani and Bollywood singer Atif Aslam‘s voice. “When he sings, it’s like a hero's singing,” he said.

Kapoor on Bollywood

“It’s part of Indian culture,” Kapoor told Deadline after he was mobbed by several fans outside the venue for pictures. “The songs, the dances. They love the movies, especially the Asian subcontinent. So it’s always great to get that love.” The Sanju actor, while at an In Conversation session addressed what many considered 'failures' of his career. The reason of branding his several ventures as such, he said, could be due to poor box office numbers or conflicting artistic results.

His 2022 offering Shamshera, he said was “by far the hardest film I’ve worked on. It was a big box office disaster, but the biggest mistake I made on Shamshera was that I stuck on a beard.” The actor was referencing the prosthetic beard he wears during the film. Over thunderous laughs from the crowd, he continued, “When you’re shooting in the heat, and you stick on a beard, it’s like your face is melting.”

Kapoor then spoke about his 2017 family drama Jagga Jasoos, which he described as “another disaster.” “It’s a film that I produced. It was a passion project. It was directed by Anurag Basu. It was a very heartwarming and sweet idea, but it didn’t do well, which really hurt,” he said. “That’s the only film in my career that hurt me.”

Shamshera is among many big-budget, high-profile Bollywood projects that struggled at the box office this past year even though Indian cinemas have been open with no Covid restrictions for almost a year. “It’s been pretty bad these last few years,” Kapoor told the publication of the situation at the Indian box office. “The entire culture of going to a theater for a community viewing of a movie seems like it’s dying, and it’s only there for the big ticket films, but I hope with strong storytelling, and renewed vigor, Indian cinema comes back.”

Kapoor on why South films seemingly work

He further shared his thoughts on why South Indian films such as the Kannada-language K.G.F: Chapter 2 and the Telugu-language RRR have managed to emerge victorious at the box office. “They’re doing really good storytelling,” he said of the recent South India cinema boom, adding that S S Rajamouli’s RRR, which has grossed more than $140 million worldwide and is picking up early awards buzz, as a perfect example of Southern Indian filmmaking.

“It’s not taking itself too seriously. It’s got all the songs, dances, action, friendship, and comedy. So it’s a multi-genre film, but those are hard films to make because we try to make them, and they keep failing. So we’re really proud that a film like RRR is making an impact in Hollywood," Kapoor remarked.

RRR revolves around the story of real Indian freedom fighters and stars Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, and Kapoor's superstar wife, Alia Bhatt. And while Bhatt has made her way to Hollywood, Kapoor shared that he doesn’t see himself crossing over to the states anytime soon.

“I’d never say never, but I’m pretty content with the kind of opportunities that are coming my way in my country in my language,” he said. “I do have a certain block in my head about acting in English. I’d rather act in my language because it comes naturally to me. But never say never.”

Down the pipeline

Speaking about his upcoming projects, Kapoor shared he is all set to star in two films, set for a 2023 release: a now-untitled romantic comedy also featuring Shraddha Kapoor and a crime thriller titled Animal directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. However, Kapoor remarked that his long-term career goal is to move behind the camera.

“I’ve always wanted to direct and make a movie. But I’ve really not mastered the courage to write a story,” he said. “I’ve always waited for a story to come to me naturally. But the fuck up is that I’m not a writer, and I’m really shy when it comes to sharing my ideas with other people. But I’m working on it, and it’s something that is in my ten-year plan: To start directing movies and hopefully act in them too.”