Bollywood star Ranbir takes a walk on the wild side in 'Bombay Velvet'
Ranbir wanted a challenging role and approached Anurag when he heard he was directing an adaptation of 'Mumbai Fables'
PHOTO: TUMBLR
INDIA:
Ranbir Kapoor, the scion of ’Bollywood’s First Family’, acknowledges his latest role as a streetfighter in Mumbai’s underworld marks a dramatic departure for an acting heartthrob long regarded as being the manor born.
“But that kind of risk gets us all excited,” says the 33-year-old ahead of Friday’s release of Bombay Velvet. “Even Spiderman has to take risks.”
Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Bombay Velvet is one of the most hotly-anticipated Bollywood movies of the year with a cast that also includes Bollywood hearthrob Anushka Sharma.
Set in the 1960s, Ranbir plays Johnny Balraj, an angry young man who falls in love with a jazz singer (Anushka) in between illegal boxing bouts that leave him black and blue.
He hides his black eyes with sunglasses even in the darkest of nightclubs.
Ranbir, the son of Bollywood legends Rishi and Neetu Kapoor and grandson of iconic director Raj Kapoor, studied film making in New York before making his screen debut in Saawariya.
Since then he has enjoyed a string of successes playing “coming of age“ characters.
But now in his mid-30s, the young Kapoor wanted to take on more challenging roles and approached Anurag when he heard that the director planned to make a movie out of a well-known book called Mumbai Fables.
“Yes, there is pressure, but one should feel the pressure otherwise the glory would not be great,” Ranbir told AFP in an interview.
“I have done all these coming-of-age films and then to see me in this strata of society, in this character of Johnny Balraj, a boy consumed by the desire for a brighter future, who wants to be a big shot in the big bad world of Bombay but gets caught in this web of lies, was what excited me.
“I don’t have any song or dance number, the film is challenging the norm, form and content.”
Anurag has a reputation for directing gritty movies such as the award-winning Black Friday based on a series of bombings in Mumbai in 1993 blamed on an infamous mafia boss.
The actor says his relationship with any movie’s director is key to its success. “My challenge is to be great friends with the director. In fact, it’s very important for the director and me to be in love with each other before we approach a film because the process is as fragile and as sensitive,” added the B-Town heartthrob.
Despite a number of recent flops, Ranbir remains one of Bollywood’s most in-demand stars and his forthcoming films include Tamaasha and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
Even when his face is not plastered on billboards, his relationship with Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif ensures he is never out of the limelight.
When he and Katrina recently moved into a new home, paparazzi followed them for five days.
“The were following my car, seeing where I got off, where Katrina got off, etc. All of that affects you and sometimes you feel life is a bit unfair,” he shared.
“Mobile phones also make it is impossible to roam freely in your own city so you're either stuck at home or have to travel abroad, away from prying eyes.”
Home to several family dynasties, the Kapoors have an edge in Bollywood with their long line of famous actors and directors stretching back generations.
While other Bollywood superstars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are avid users of social networks, this young starlet has no intention of joining online social platforms, which is surprising considering his father's loyalty and dedication towards Twitter.
“I have two simple reasons for staying off social media. The first being that the mystery of actors is dying; we are visible everywhere - TV, endorsements, promoting films, dancing at awards shows, newspapers, etc,” he explained.
“I feel I can maintain some sense of longevity and mystery about myself by avoiding such platforms." he continued.
“Secondly, I don’t believe an actor in India has complete freedom of speech because if I say something or tweet something it is interpreted in multiple ways and then I have the added burden of trying to clear the air by explaining myself to people. Twitter is like a 24x7 press conference,” he further added. Maybe he has learnt a thing or two from his father's experience with social media sites.
He says the flipside of stardom is the inability to travel in one’s own country. “I do wish I had travelled in India more. That’s something I miss,” he confided.
“But I love the life I live and I get to do what I love. Yes, your personal life takes a little bit of a backseat because you are constantly in a movie even though you are not working in a movie.
“But I guess that’s all a part of showbiz,” said the Bollywood actor.
Ranbir Kapoor, the scion of ’Bollywood’s First Family’, acknowledges his latest role as a streetfighter in Mumbai’s underworld marks a dramatic departure for an acting heartthrob long regarded as being the manor born.
“But that kind of risk gets us all excited,” says the 33-year-old ahead of Friday’s release of Bombay Velvet. “Even Spiderman has to take risks.”
Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Bombay Velvet is one of the most hotly-anticipated Bollywood movies of the year with a cast that also includes Bollywood hearthrob Anushka Sharma.
Set in the 1960s, Ranbir plays Johnny Balraj, an angry young man who falls in love with a jazz singer (Anushka) in between illegal boxing bouts that leave him black and blue.
He hides his black eyes with sunglasses even in the darkest of nightclubs.
Ranbir, the son of Bollywood legends Rishi and Neetu Kapoor and grandson of iconic director Raj Kapoor, studied film making in New York before making his screen debut in Saawariya.
Since then he has enjoyed a string of successes playing “coming of age“ characters.
But now in his mid-30s, the young Kapoor wanted to take on more challenging roles and approached Anurag when he heard that the director planned to make a movie out of a well-known book called Mumbai Fables.
“Yes, there is pressure, but one should feel the pressure otherwise the glory would not be great,” Ranbir told AFP in an interview.
“I have done all these coming-of-age films and then to see me in this strata of society, in this character of Johnny Balraj, a boy consumed by the desire for a brighter future, who wants to be a big shot in the big bad world of Bombay but gets caught in this web of lies, was what excited me.
“I don’t have any song or dance number, the film is challenging the norm, form and content.”
Anurag has a reputation for directing gritty movies such as the award-winning Black Friday based on a series of bombings in Mumbai in 1993 blamed on an infamous mafia boss.
The actor says his relationship with any movie’s director is key to its success. “My challenge is to be great friends with the director. In fact, it’s very important for the director and me to be in love with each other before we approach a film because the process is as fragile and as sensitive,” added the B-Town heartthrob.
Despite a number of recent flops, Ranbir remains one of Bollywood’s most in-demand stars and his forthcoming films include Tamaasha and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
Even when his face is not plastered on billboards, his relationship with Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif ensures he is never out of the limelight.
When he and Katrina recently moved into a new home, paparazzi followed them for five days.
“The were following my car, seeing where I got off, where Katrina got off, etc. All of that affects you and sometimes you feel life is a bit unfair,” he shared.
“Mobile phones also make it is impossible to roam freely in your own city so you're either stuck at home or have to travel abroad, away from prying eyes.”
Home to several family dynasties, the Kapoors have an edge in Bollywood with their long line of famous actors and directors stretching back generations.
While other Bollywood superstars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are avid users of social networks, this young starlet has no intention of joining online social platforms, which is surprising considering his father's loyalty and dedication towards Twitter.
“I have two simple reasons for staying off social media. The first being that the mystery of actors is dying; we are visible everywhere - TV, endorsements, promoting films, dancing at awards shows, newspapers, etc,” he explained.
“I feel I can maintain some sense of longevity and mystery about myself by avoiding such platforms." he continued.
“Secondly, I don’t believe an actor in India has complete freedom of speech because if I say something or tweet something it is interpreted in multiple ways and then I have the added burden of trying to clear the air by explaining myself to people. Twitter is like a 24x7 press conference,” he further added. Maybe he has learnt a thing or two from his father's experience with social media sites.
He says the flipside of stardom is the inability to travel in one’s own country. “I do wish I had travelled in India more. That’s something I miss,” he confided.
“But I love the life I live and I get to do what I love. Yes, your personal life takes a little bit of a backseat because you are constantly in a movie even though you are not working in a movie.
“But I guess that’s all a part of showbiz,” said the Bollywood actor.