Son of the soil, Riteish Deshmukh is not just a successful producer, but a clever actor, too. Contrary to his goofy image, there's a lot of introspection behind his choices. A trait that is evident, right from the time he decided to chase his passion for acting, instead of following his father's footsteps into politics. A move that paid off and how. In a candid chat with BT, the actor, who plays a street musician in the upcoming film Banjo, reveals how every film he makes in Marathi is an ode to his father, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh.

We heard that you wrote the lyrics for Rada Rada. Given your background, was it difficult to write such lyrics and connect with the character of a street singer?
The song is wrongly attributed to me. There is this perception that I come from an affluent background because my father was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a long time. But my upbringing has been middle class. My father was a farmer's son and a sarpanch before he entered politics. The culture and value system of Latur is deep-rooted in us. I lived in government quarters and kids from the neighbouring homes were my friends. One of my friends' elder brother was a banjo player. In fact, I also owned a banjo. So, this environment isn't alien to me. But you know what is? Pop, rock and American music. If I were to play a rock star, I would have had to work really hard to understand the character.

Tell us about your character in the film.
Taraat is arrogant, has a stubble and long, unkempt hair. He's probably not had a bath for days and is perpetually drunk. He speaks less and when he does, he uses a lot of punchlines, which sound rather heroic. In that sense, he reminded me of Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar. But he becomes a different person while playing the banjo. A musician that I kept in mind while playing that instrument was tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. The image of him playing the tabla for a tea commercial has been a big influence. There is a movement of his head that is in tandem with the rhythm.

What was Genelia's reaction to your new look?
She was really excited as she felt that I had sported the same hairstyle for a long time and needed to change it. I had to take a break of three months to grow my hair. Now, I am on a break again to grow my beard.

Is there something that we don't know about banjo players?
I wonder how many people know that banjo players play the instrument with a blade. I have done that in the film. I bite a blade and rip it into two in the introduction scene. I even cut my fingers while doing that, but you don't realise it at that moment, and continue playing.

Nargis has a wry sense of humour and you are known to be a prankster. How was it on the set?
She is crazy and cracked. Being Maharashtrians, Ravi (Jadhav, director), the writer and I conversed majorly in Marathi. So, she would be like, 'Oh my God, there is one more language I need to learn now! I don't know what you are speaking. I barely understand Hindi.' But it worked well for the film as she is playing an NRI character in it.

So, can she speak a few words of Marathi now?
The only word I taught her was 'Aaicha Gho', which means mother's husband. She thinks it's a cuss word. I haven't told her the meaning, but after this interview she will know what it really means.

The film could be compared to Ranbir Kapoor's Rockstar, especially because Nargis was in that film, too...
There are bound to be comparisons because both are musicals. But every character has a different journey. Ranbir in Rockstar had a different goal and the same applies to Banjo. They have their own stories to tell. Just because a guy falls in love with a girl doesn't mean there can't be different romantic sagas. I loved Rockstar and I hope that people like Banjo too.

You played a solo hero in Naach and Rann, but got noticed with Ek Villain and Lai Bhaari. Do you think these movies changed the audience's perception?
Success changes people's perception. It dictates how the next two years will be. Had the earlier two films done well, things would have been different. But the comedies I did at that time turned out to be more successful. So, I was offered such roles back-to-back. My film Aladin, which is close to my heart, also didn't do well. So, I went back to doing comedies until Ek Villain came my way. Playing the villain helped me break the perception that I was only good at comedy. That was a huge risk. This was followed by Lai Bhaari, which was an action-commercial film in Marathi. I am glad it was received well. I am excited that now I am being offered non-comic films, too.

So, are multi-starrer films, barring franchises, off-limits now?
I learnt early in my career to adapt be it doing solo, two or multi-hero projects. People may differentiate my films as solo-hero projects or multi-starrers, but I don't. If I am offered a three-hero film after two solo projects, I will do it.

You went back to doing adult comedies after announcing a break from them...
I said no to adult comedies because I felt I couldn't offer anything new to the genre. Strangely, people think I only do comedies but the fact is that I have only done sequels. Having said that, I am in a space where I want to do what excites and stimulates me as an actor and producer. If I have something new to offer to any genre, I will do it. I just don't want to repeat myself.

You seem to have cracked the formula of producing successful Marathi films right from the word go...
There are a lot of parameters for a film to be successful. An engaging story told in a nice way, along with a good release are imperative. Personally, I don't think about the money when my film releases; if your budget is right and you pitch it correctly, it will surely be profitable.

Salman Khan wanted to remake your Marathi production Yellow in Hindi. What happened there?
Yes, we spoke about it, but we have both been busy with our work. Hopefully, we will reconnect soon on this and figure out the next step. With time, the relevance of the subject also changes. If it works out, we would love to make it with his production house.

You have added your father's name to yours in your Marathi film posters. Has this been done to establish a better connect with the Maharashtrian audience?
My father wasn't around to see my Marathi debut and hence, I decided that every Marathi film I do will have my name written as Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh.