Shetty on how his latest cop is an ‘anti-hero’, and why Ranveer is perfect for role
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 20, 2018)

With his Singham franchise, Rohit Shetty has given Bollywood fans one of their favourite onscreen cops. Now, the filmmaker has made Ranveer Singh don the khaki uniform for his latest offering, Simmba. While comparisons are inevitable, Shetty insists the two protagonists are as different as chalk and cheese. “If I had to make just another cop film, I would have made Singham 3; after all, it is already a big brand. Hopefully, Simmba too, will become a brand. The character and universe of Simmba is completely different from that of Singham. Simmba is an anti-hero. He is dishonest, notorious and accepts bribes until circumstances change him.”

Shetty says the role of Sangram Bhalerao — complete with his cheeky attitude and quirks — is tailor-made for Singh. “When I had narrated the story line, Ranveer had loved it. He heard the final draft later. We were lucky that we had him on board right from the beginning so that we could mould the character in a particular way. Today when I see Simmba, I don’t think anyone else could have pulled it off,” says the filmmaker.

While Singh has expressed his admiration for the director on numerous occasions, Shetty too heaps praise on his leading man. “I haven’t seen a guy with so much positivity. Ranveer can keep the audience riveted with his performance.”

Not too long ago, he had announced the Ram Lakhan remake. However, it had to be put on the backburner as no two actors were apparently ready to share screen space. But Shetty is hopeful that his ambitious remake will be realised. “Karan [Johar] recently asked me about the Ram Lakhan remake. I told him that I will make it when I get the instinctive urge to do so. We have a draft ready and the day I feel, I will start. It has not been shelved. I haven’t decided what my next will be, but it won’t be a sequel to any of my previous films.”