Meena Iyer (DNA; May 7, 2019)

Ranveer Singh is a perfectionist. He doesn’t make bones about the fact that he wishes to be seen as the best actor of his generation. The young superstar, who won accolades for Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018) and Gully Boy (2019), is aware that the name of the game is to excel. People, who know him closely, credit his obsessive preparation to transform into a character on screen as the primary reason behind his incredible performances.

One recalls that during Padmaavat (in which he played the fearful Alauddin Khilji), the actor took his prep to the next level. He shut himself out from the world for close to three months, just spoke to his parents over the weekends, lived in a dark room, watched crimes of tyrants and pushed himself to the brink of darkness to essay a villain who will be remembered for a long time to come. In fact, he managed to pick up awards for his performance as well. Similarly for Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, he spent nearly two months with the people of Dharavi. Ranveer was keen to understand their minds and their way of life. Once again, his superlative portrayal as the underdog rapper in the film is one of the best performances one has seen. He looked like he belonged to the world that he inhabited in the film.

Now as he prepares for his next, Kabir Khan’s 83, Ranveer is again changing the rules of how an actor prepares for his role. He wants to wow cinegoers with his transformation as Indian skipper Kapil Dev, who led the team to victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. So, he is heading to the capital tomorrow to live and train with the sportsman for 10 days. He feels this visit is immensely important for his process to become the iconic captain on screen.

A source says, “No actor has ever lived with the person he is playing on screen. Of course, in cases like Sanju, you do have Ranbir Kapoor trying to study Sanjay Dutt from close quarters, but Ranveer is going a step ahead. He is going to live with Kapil to soak in his personality and behaviour. He is keen to pick up the latter’s finer character traits. Ranveer is supremely excited about the challenge and wants to again deliver a performance that he hopes will leave an indelible mark. Kapil became a legend after he rallied the team to win the 1983 World Cup.”

The source adds, “There’s a lot of curiosity about this incredible untold story of one of India’s greatest victories and Ranveer wants to do justice to this anticipation. He has a set plan for his Delhi trip. He wants to see, live and breathe Kapil before he starts shooting.”

Ranveer confirms, “I’m looking forward to spending more time with Kapil sir. He is kind, generous, warm and funny. I had a memorable two days with him in Dharamshala. I’m going to spend more time with him in Delhi to learn more about him. It’s a first-of-its-kind exercise in my acting process where I’ll be studying the man himself in the flesh for my onscreen portrayal of him. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to learn about life from a true legend.”