IMAGE: Sourav Ganguly, left, and Ranbir Kapoor before playing a celebrity game of cricket. Photographs: PTI Photo
Ranbir Kapoor, whose film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar is slated for release on March 8, has dismissed boycott Bollywood calls on social media as baseless.
“If you ask me about any call about ‘boycott Bollywood’, I find that baseless. There are so many negative things coming post-pandemic. Films are made for entertainment purposes, we are not saving the world. Audiences come to theatres to forget worries. They come to watch films on big screen, to have a good time. I just don’t know (comprehend) the boycott thing,” he told reporters on a visit to Kolkata.
Though the actor did not specify the context of his comments, most recently, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan faced boycott Bollywood calls over the costumes worn by Deepika Padukone.
The actor also said though he was not offered any film on Sourav Ganguly, he is confident that a biopic on the cricketing icon would be special.
“Dada is a living legend, not just here but around the world. The biopic on him will be very special. Unfortunately, I was not offered this film. Don’t know if the makers of the film are still writing the script. For 11 years, I have been working on a biopic of Kishore Kumar, the story written by Anurag Basu. I am hoping that is going to be my next biopic,” he says.
Asked about the blockbuster performance of Pathaan, which has earned more than Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) at the global box office, Ranbir said the spy drama’s success has given a boost to the Hindi film industry.
“What Pathaan has managed to do, the film industry needed it. Very happy and grateful that Pathaan has done that. I think Shah Rukh Khan deserves all the success for Pathaan. I have seen him as an actor, I have been able to work with him several times. He gave so much to this industry. I am very proud of him,” he adds.
Asked if switching over to a comedy is more relaxing and unwinding for an actor as compared to films with far more serious content, Ranbir said, “I feel rom-com genre is very hard. You don’t really have a character there to hide behind, you have to reflect on your personality.”
The actor, who is sporting a lean look for Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, also spoke about the hard work that goes into showing off a chiselled body on the screen.
“Every actor showing abs on screen is a very sad person, he does not have anything to eat for three months, so that he can achieve some abs,” he said.
About some of his movies turning super hits and some others flops, he says, “Every movie has its own destiny, you cannot label it. I am happy Brahmastra: Part One, which was released in 2022 and was in making for several years, has been such a hit. We still have part two and three left. I am excited for that.”
Reflecting on the hits and misses in his career of over 15 years, Ranbir said it is important to talk about one’s failures and own them up.
“In my career of over 15 years, there have been around 18 films — some of which have been successful and some others failures, commercially. I am used to what is success and what is failure…. Failure always taught you something about yourself and it is very important to own your failures, to talk about your failures. I am very happy speaking about failures,” he said.
Asked which Bengali director he would love to work with, Kapoor lists Sujoy Ghosh and Shoojit Sircar.
The reporter also named Aniruddha Roy Choudhury and Srijit Mukherji, and Ranbir replied, “Yes, yes.. everyone. In fact, not only Bengali directors….it can be a director from other states as long it is a good story and a good character for me.”
Asked about the trolling that celebrities face on social media, the actor jokes, “I am officially not on social media. I love to troll. I troll all my friends. It is said in jest, but sometimes trolls are below the belt.”
“If they (fans) like us, they shower us with love. If not, they troll… eventually, it is their money,” he added.
About his experience of Kolkata, Ranbir said, “I had shot parts of Barfi here. Kolkata is one of the few cities in India which is very rich in culture. People here are very different from the rest. I love food. I savoured delicacies like Sorshe Maachh (mustard fish), topped by misti doi. Kolkata is one of my favourite cities.”
