Ajit Rai

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor has said that playing the role of Lord Ram is everyone's dream. Glowing under the mega success of his movie Animal, Ranbir was interacting with the audience at the ongoing 4th Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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He said that playing the role of Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari's upcoming film Ramayan is like a dream come true for him. “As an actor, I cannot get greater happiness than this. I know that playing the role of Lord Ram is not an easy task.”

He said, “There is a lot of risk involved in this. My image in cinema is somewhat different. But I like taking risks. Always being safe creates a kind of boredom. I have taken a risk in Sandeep Vanga Reddy's Animal.

He was specifically asked about his opinion on the controversial but hugely successful film Animal. The audience asked him since he too is a father now how did he think society was impacted by such movies.

For the uninitiated, it may be mentioned that Animal was rated as the most misogynistic and violent film.

Ranbir said he too was scared after reading the script of the film given to him by director Sandeep Vanga Reddy.

“As an actor, this script was challenging. Till that time my image was that of a romantic hero. But I accepted the risk. When I saw the film Animal, I was surprised to see myself.”

Actor Ranbir Kapoor with fans at the 4th Red Sea  International Film Festival in Jeddah

He further said, “All I would like to say is that instead of looking at this film as violent or from any other perspective, it should be seen as an emotional story of a father and son.”

Ranbir Kapoor also spoke about his upcoming films.

He is playing the lead role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ambitious film 'Love and War'. Calling Bhansali a “genius director”, he said, “I started my film career with him as an assistant director.”

Ranbir Kapoor said that he is also doing 'Animal Part 2' which is being made under the name of Animal Park. He is also playing the lead role in the second part of Ayan Mukherjee's 'Brahmastra'.

When audiences mentioned his achievements at a young age, Rabir Kapoor said that his grandfather Raj Kapoor had become an actor as well as a director and producer at the age of only 24.

He admitted even at the age of 42, he is not close to his grandfather. Currently, he is busy completing his four or five big-budget films. Remembering his father Rishi Kapoor, he said that he was always busy with work, but once “I got a chance to stay with him for four months.”

“We used to sleep in the same room. He was a little short-tempered. I was assisting him. During that time I learnt so much that I could not learn even during my studies at Lee Strasberg School in New York.”

Ranbir Kapoor said that in his childhood he thought that he would join the army or become a Karate coach, but destiny made him an actor. “Sometimes destiny chooses you. I had to take admission in Lee Strasberg School of New York although I do not like its acting methods at all.”

“However, one advantage of this was that I met people from all over the world and got a chance to know different cultures. I earned 500 dollars for a short film there. After coming back, I assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the film 'Black'. My real education took place during this period.”

Ranbir Kapoor said that he comes from a well-off family of filmmakers and actors, yet he had to work hard to do well in cinema.

“For the last 30 years of my life, I read books every day and watched films from all over the world. My most favourite film in world cinema is 'Life is Beautiful' by Italy's Roberto Benigni.”

He said that he chooses roles all by himself; his father Rishi Kapoor never imposed anything on him. “He gave him complete freedom to make decisions.”

He said that even though some of his films did not do well, the audience gave him a lot of love and kept faith in his potential.

“Failures taught me a lot. The love of the audience is the biggest reward. Anyway, there is no fixed formula for making a good film.”Ranbir Kapoor with actor Olivia Wild at the 4th red Sea international Award, Jeddah

He said that he never hesitates to take risks. He said, “There is a dialogue in his film Rocket Singh “Even Spider-Man has to take risks.”

About his role in Imtiaz Ali's film 'Rock Star', he said that the film was a lifetime experience.

Its songs were written by Irshad Kamil to suit Imtiaz Ali’s vision. “The three months I spent in Chennai with music director AR Rahman during the making of the film were unforgettable days of my life. I acted in a song shot in a dargah. Three days spent there were spiritual, magical experiences.”

When asked about Anurag Basu's film 'Barfi', he said that the script of this movie was serious and intense.

He said the script was changed many a time. He admitted that there are shadows of Charlie Chaplin and Raj Kapoor in this role. “When I saw the film after two years, I was stunned.”

He said that when he was asked to play Sanjay Dutt's role in 'Sanju', it was a big event for him. Firstly, its director Rajkumar Hirani is the biggest director of Bollywood. Secondly, Sanjay Dutt is my favourite actor.