Even before Ranbir Kapoor became popular, he earned a reputation as ‘Bollywood’s towel drop guy’ with Saanwariyaan’s Jab Se Tere Naina. He’s been a part of the industry for over 10 years now and is touted as the best the industry has right now. He’s done some iconic roles in movies like Barfi, Rockstar, Rocket Singh and Sanju to name a few but he’s also given his share of flops like Besharam, Anjaana Anjaani and Bombay Velvet… but through the years he’s come out as an actor who puts his heart and soul in whatever role he takes up.
So what helps Ranbir do this ‘oh-so-effortlessly’ every time? Whether he’s Jordan or Prem, how does he manage to get under the skin of every character so well? Think it’s his acting blood? No! Here are some tricks Ranbir follows in order to get ‘that’ right, without fail.
Identifies a Character with a Particular Perfume and Shoes
Have you wondered how actors identify with a particular character in between shooting multiple films simultaneously? Well, Ranbir Kapoor has a foolproof trick for it.
He identifies a character with his sense of smell.
The actor uses a particular perfume for one of his characters. So, when he is on the sets of Brahmastra, he will use one perfume and some other perfume for when he is partying. Guess what, the drill is the same for shoes too!
Ranbir is Ready to Make a Fool Out of Himself on a Movie Set
You thought you are the only one who battles performance pressure? Ranbir Kapoor is just as pressurised as you are when expected to perform. The nerves, sweaty palms…he gets it all.
“I don’t come with set expectations on the set but making a fool out of myself.”Ranbir said in an interview with Anupama Chopra
He also says he is mostly low on confidence and has anxiety issues.
Likes to Believe His Intuition Works, When It Doesn’t
He says that there are times when he is confused about what he is doing and a lot of times it works in his favour. Admitting that his intuition goes wrong, he said that when he was shooting Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year, he thought it would do what Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnai Bhai did and become a blockbuster. He thought that it will mark his arrival in the Indian film industry. He was also shooting Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahaani at the time and didn’t have great expectations from the movie. But when the two released what played out was way different from what he had expected.
Actually, the exact opposite. Rocket Singh did resonate with a lot of people but didn’t do well at the box office while Ajab played out to be a big hit.
He Is a Loner!
Ranbir says he identifies as an introvert, which is why he is a social media holdout. His acting process is a lot like his personality. For him, isolation works best and isolation along with nature and sacrifice is his ultimate place for enhancing creative energy.
“You don’t need another person to be happy with or to feel alive.”Ranbir Kapoor
But guess what?!? He loves keeping a mystery over his persona too. In an interview, Ranbir said that, “Mystery and aura is very important for an actor.” He says that if one is seeing him everywhere then his audience won’t be able to relate to his character on screen.
It Has to Be a Marriage Between the Actor and the Director
Ranbir has a reputation of being a director’s actor. Whether he’s working with his dear friend Ayan Mukherjee or Anurag Basu or Imtiaz Ali, he says he does exactly as told by the director.
“I don’t live in fool’s paradise thinking that films work because of me. If you took out Imtiaz from Rockstar then it would be a terrible film.”
For him it’s important to understand the director and writer’s mind.
“I am a robber. I am constantly robbing what’s in the director’s mind.”Ranbir Kapoor
He also admitted to getting really jealous when any other actor’s movie does well.
(This article is from The Quint's archives and is being republished on Ranbir Kapoor's birthday.)
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