Meena Iyer (DNA; December 19, 2018)

Ranveer Singh has dominated 2018. He began the year with Padmaavat, which earned him accolades for his inimitable take as Alauddin Khilji, the antagonist. His popularity has witnessed a meteoric rise and this is validated by the fact that he endorses nothing less than 26 brands! Be it Rohit Shetty, Karan Johar or Kabir Khan, everyone has a script ready for this ‘lion cub’. And though he is too modest to actually spell it out, his contemporaries have been feeling ‘the heat’ from his growing stardom. Last month, the 33-year-old hit a personal high when he got married to his sweetheart and Bollywood’s numero uno actress Deepika Padukone. And even as he readies himself for his first ‘in and as’ role, the Young Turk gives us his undiluted view on why masala movies are what he always craved. Excerpts from our conversation:

Who is more energetic, Ranveer Singh or Simmba?
Simmba definitely has more energy. I have poured the best of me into him. It was a big one for me when Rohit Shetty offered me this part as it’s my first ‘in and as’ role. ‘Ranveer Singh in and as Simmba’ is a big high (smiles). To be Rohit’s leading man is a huge opportunity. I always wanted to do a film in the masala space. However, I didn’t want to do it with anyone other than him because no one can do it quite like him. So, I waited patiently. And I’m happy that my first foray into this space is with the Master himself. I always knew that Rohit sir had this intention of wanting to make a franchise like this one. This is the first one. That’s why, the character gets established here. You can’t just wake up one day and be a leading man in a Rohit Shetty film. You have to earn your stripes. You need to have a certain amount of equity to qualify and be in that position.

But you had done three Sanjay Leela Bhansali movies — Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018) — before this. Don’t you think those films had already added to your equity?
Of course, they did. It was only because I was coming from there that I got this opportunity. Actually, it was after Bajirao Mastani that Rohit sir offered me this film. We had worked on a commercial when he felt this kid (me) had some potential and spoke to me about Simmba. I jumped at the opportunity. I had always told him, “Sir, if you ever have anything for me, I would love to do it.” For me, this movie is the Holy Grail in terms of pleasing the patrons. It’s a front-footed, mass entertainer. Because his cinematic language is so viewer friendly, Rohit sir has this ability to encompass a wide spectrum of the audience. He is a grounded man, so he’s connected to the grassroots. He is aware about it because he also understands the mass medium of television as he is a big TV star himself. He’s able to entertain and his track record is so consistent because he has an understanding of the common man. Like he had this dialogue in Chennai Express (2013) that said, ‘Don’t underestimate the power of the common man.’ So, he’s someone who believes in giving the people what they want.

Rohit said something similar about you being grounded and absolutely down-to-earth. 
I thank Rohit sir (smiles).

Did you observe changes around yourself in the last two years? After all, you’ve been riding the wave. 
Post the release of Padmaavat, it’s been amazing. Everything that followed it has been magical. I could sense a change. I felt it immediately after Padmaavat because of the kind of character (Alauddin Khilji) I played and the kind of film it was. So, it did change a lot of things for me. Suddenly, I saw a spike in everything — in terms of appreciation and popularity. Padmaavat was a major turning point of my career. It was a shot in the arm. I played a character who was vastly different from anything I had done before or anyone from my generation had done and the film achieved what it did. It was a huge boost. I will not deny that I could feel the change almost immediately as I started getting better offers. Business-wise, too, my value had increased. Everything changed after Padmaavat and I’m eternally indebted to Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir for this. After my debut in Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Lootera and Ram Leela released in 2013. This was followed by Dil Dhadakne Do and Bajirao Mastani in 2015. Now, there’s Padmaavat and Simmba in the same year. So in a way, all of these have been turning points.

The year has been amazing in many more ways. You get to go home to one of the prettiest girls in the world…
For me, the highlight of this year is my marriage to Deepika (Padukone). She has liked whatever she has seen of Simmba. She loves Aankh Marey. On my birthday (July 6), my family and Deepika visited me on the sets in Hyderabad and Rohit sir was kind enough to show them some portions, which she loved. Usually, she is extremely critical of my work, but she liked what she saw of Simmba. She said, ‘This is masala done really well.’ Deepika doesn’t like every look of mine. In real life, she wasn’t sure whether this moustache with its twirled edges would work for me, but she knew it worked wonderfully for the character of Simmba. She thought I was looking fit and hot. And I was happy to hear that (smiles).

Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan or Ranveer Singh, who is the biggest star currently?
I have no idea. It’s not something I mull over. This is not something I will or should comment on. This is more of a question for analysts or media experts. I appreciate the work that both these fine actors are doing.

I thought Ranbir was amazing in Sanju and Varun did a fantastic job in October as well as Sui Dhaaga: Made In India. It’s important that this generation of young actors delivers quality performances. Each of us must be a part of quality films that are credible and do well commercially because all of us collectively are the new guard. It’s important that we start notching numbers in order to sustain the business. At the same time, we have the responsibility of ensuring that our cinema evolves. You must remember that any one of us — Ranbir, Varun, Tiger Shroff, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao or Vicky Kaushal and me — or all those talented actors out there are going to do it on our own. It is a collective process and it will be done by all of us. I have had the fortune to see what Tiger can do. He is an outstanding artiste and he is a mass-oriented phenomenon. The way he fights or the way he dances is unique. I appreciate and applaud what he does. There is a whole new bunch of actors who are committed to doing good work. And that’s a positive sign for the future of our industry.

The filmmakers with whom you have worked and your co-actors say that Ranveer spells excitement. Why is that?
I am extraordinarily enthusiastic about my work. That could be the reason why my directors kindly say that I’m exciting. I approach my work with zeal irrespective of the scene. It could be an action scene, a comic one, a song or a dramatic one, I just go for it. I love the creative process of cinema. I feel energised by it and perhaps that’s the reason they feel I’m excitable or excited (whichever word you choose to describe me with). I never go to set jaded. I look forward to each day and wish to make the most of it. My goal is simple — I believe in giving my film all I have.

Every day you do something different on set and the beauty of it is that’s such a refreshing thing. It keeps me invigorated, stimulated and charged. I’m glad that despite doing films back to back, there is so much variety in the work that I’ve been offered.

Will you write or direct?
I will surely explore other avenues of my creativity. However, as of now, just being a performer is so exciting that I am realising that firstly, the craft (acting) is limitless and secondly, I hardly know anything about it as yet. I am constantly exploring to see what is next. Even I do not know what I have to offer. I’m always asking myself what more can I give to this role? What else do I have in my arsenal as an actor? How much more versatile can I be?

How many different characters can I play? Right now, it’s an exciting time in the gamut of acting itself. I eagerly look forward to working with Kabir Khan on ’83 and with Karan Johar for Takht. Just the thought of what I will get to do in these films and the characters that I’ll essay blows my mind.