Actor Ranveer Singh completes a decade in the film industry. He recalls his memorable milestones, dreams, aspirations and the rejections he faced before his debut, and talks about the kind of work he wants to be known for
Actor Ranveer Singh is the first young star to register a 300-crore blockbuster Padmaavat to his credit. Inspite of being an outsider has made his place in the Indian cinema. Recently, the actor marked a decade in films as his debut film Band Baaja Baarat celebrated its 10th anniversary.
The actor has showcased his talent through a diverse range of genres and characters. Be it the lovable rake Bittoo Sharma from Band Baaja Baarat, the intensely brooding thief with a golden heart in Lootera, the fiery Romeo who takes on the world in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, the valiant and majestic Peshwa Bajirao in the magnum opus Bajirao Mastani, the cool, suave but complicated Kabir Mehta of Dil Dhadakne Do, the eccentric and menacing evil king Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat, the corrupt cop who pledges redemption in Simmba and Murad, the vulnerable yet powerful voice of the streets of India in Gully Boy, Ranveer has set himself apart with his performative range. On the 10th year of his journey, the actor opens up about his most memorable milestones, his dreams and aspirations, the rejections he faced for years before his explosive debut and the legacy that he wants to leave behind.
December 10 marked your 10 years. Looking back, which moments from these years would you consider the biggest career milestone and why?
Well, the biggest milestone is when I got selected for my first film — a moment truly unforgettable. I get goosebumps when I think about it even now. To get such a big break for somebody from my kind of background was beyond my wildest imagination. The stuff dreams are made of , really. After that one incredible twist of fate it’s been a journey of learning, growing and evolving as a creative person, a performer and a public figure. With every passing year and film I have learnt something more about the craft, more about myself and tried to improve myself and my set of skills. With every film and through every character, I hope to explore my own being a little more. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, in the course of becoming other people I’ll be able to understand myself better. Every experience and every film has left me enriched a little bit more so I’m extremely grateful for every opportunity.
You have faced rejections before you landed your first film as recounted recently by Anurag Kashyap, Nikhil Advani, to name a few. Tell us about the uncertain times and how you kept your eyes on the prize.
My period of struggle was not easy at all. There was recession going on at that time, the film business was not very prolific, people were making fewer films. Therefore, opportunities for actors were far less than what it is today. We didn’t have these web and OTT platforms. Hence, good opportunities were hard to come by. For three to four years, I was just groping in the dark, attempting various avenues, trying to get a break, trying to get a foot in the door, doing the rounds of various offices with my portfolio looking for work and not knowing whether it will ever happen at all. It was very farfetched for someone in my position to think that I’d get a premier opportunity as a performer to act as a lead in Hindi films. It was a million to one shot but I took it. With the love, blessings, sacrifices and support of my amazing parents, I mustered up the fortitude to keep going. I was hungry and sometimes foolish but also very persistent. I was 21 when I started trying and at 24 it happened for me in spectacular fashion. Those tales are memoir-worthy for sure. I almost debuted in a side role in Patiala House. I did some small budget films that Anurag (Kashyap) was directly/indirectly affiliated with. Anurag Sir and Nikhil Sir are probably as astounded as I am about how things started and how they are going.
Looking back, did you ever think you will achieve this level of success in a decade?
Not at all. Right from the very Friday of my debut, the kind of things that have happened to me, the beats of my career, it is all beyond my wildest imagination. I could not even dream of the things that have happened to me, with me and around me. I can’t claim to have had the vision to dream up something like this. Maine socha tha ki kuch na kuch ho jayega, lekin aisa hoga, yeh kabhi nahi socha tha. They say you should dare to dream big but I couldn’t have dreamt this big myself. So, if I stop to think and take stock of how things have transpired and where am I today, it feels absolutely unreal to me.
Are you someone who thinks too much about your legacy? If so, what do you want Ranveer’s legacy to be in the history of Indian cinema?
Yes, every day I am working towards leaving behind a legacy, a filmography that I can be proud of. I want to make a significant contribution to the arts and inspire other artists, the way my senior artists have inspired me. We all wish to be remembered in history. I want to be remembered as a thorough entertainer, a versatile actor, someone whose body of work constitutes some of the best cinema of our country. These are tall ambitions but I am putting in work every single day to hopefully have a fulfilling run at the films and make my country proud in my field. If I distill my ambitions further, I would say that I just want to entertain people, that’s all. I would like to alleviate the agony of existence by offering people some cathartic relief. My calling is to be an entertainer and I believe that god is guiding me as I fulfill my destiny and answer my calling.