Ranbir Kapoor, who has done a number of unconventional roles in his career with films like Tamasha, Barfi, and Rocket Singh, has said his choices have left his dreams of becoming a Hindi film hero incomplete. Ranbir recalled that he wanted to be a hero like Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan, and misses getting cheers like them from the audience.
Ranbir, who is busy in promotions of Shamshera– the first double role of his career, spoke about his childhood dreams in a new video released by makers Yash Raj Films. In the second episode of RK Tapes, Ranbir Kapoor started his monologue by saying a line from Amitabh Bachchan’s 1975 action-crime drama film Deewar. Mimicking Amitabh’s scene from the film with a cigarette in his mouth, Ranbir said, “Tum log mujhe doondh rahe ho aur main tumhara yahan intezaar kar raha hoon (You people are searching for me, and I am waiting for you here).”
Ranbir then said, “Main Amitabh Bachchan banna chahta tha, jawan hua, tab Shah Rukh Khan banna tha, aur finally Ranbir Kapoor banna pada (I wanted to become Amitabh Bachchan, when I became an adult, I wanted to be Shah Rukh Khan, but finally I had to become Ranbir Kapoor).”
As pictures from his childhood including one of him meeting Amitabh Bachchan played in the background, Ranbir added, “Growing up, Hindi film heroes had become the heroes of my life. Everything I did, how I dressed, how I spoke, was subconsciously inspired by my heroes. But strangely enough, when I became an actor, I wasn’t choosing the kind of films my heroes would choose. So I may have satisfied the actor in me. But when I look back at the 12-year-old Hindi film-obsessed Ranbir, I feel like uska sapna abhi bhi adhoora hai (his dream is still incomplete).”
A video of Shah Rukh Khan greeting a large crowd from his house Mannat played on the screen as Ranbir said, “Isiliye to aajtak kisi ne na taali maari, na seeti (That’s why nobody ever clapped or whistled for me).”
Ranbir also said that now he agrees with the opinion of his late father Rishi Kapoor, who had publicly spoken of his disapproval of the kind of roles done by Ranbir. He said, “I remember my father used to tell me that the films I do are good films, but they’re not going to make me a national star. Thankfully my films worked, the audience appreciated it, but now I understand what he was trying to say. Even today when I look at my favourite heroes, I always look at them from a low angle. I never see them as equal to me. They are always larger than life, both on and off-screen. If I can be even two percent of the heroes they are, my life will be set.”
Shamshera, which also stars Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt, is scheduled for theatrical release on July 22 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. In the film, Ranbir plays the title role of Shamshera as well as his son Balli.
