‘I am Karan Johar’s most unique leading man’

The moment the trailer of ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ (RRKPK) was out, it seemed as if the character of Rocky had been tailor-made for Ranveer Singh. From his extravagant wardrobe to his proudly flaunted, toned physique, everything was so Ranveer. When the actor was in Kolkata for the promotion of Karan Johar’s directorial, he was asked if Ranveer resembled Rocky, his character in the film, which releases today. The actor acknowledged finding multiple similarities between himself and Rocky. “Every character has some part of me. But there are several similarities between Rocky and me. Rocky is full of life, loves his family and wears his heart on his sleeves. I feel that somewhere, Karan, knowing that he’d cast me as Rocky in the writing process, added a few things that he felt would suit me nicely. I am grateful to him for giving me such a character.”

Every aspiring Bollywood ‘hero’ harbours the dream to star in a Karan Johar film and Ranveer is no exception. He fondly recalled how he adorned his wall with photographs of various directors, including Karan Johar, envisioning the day he would collaborate with them. “I used to manifest that someday I was going to work with them and Karan’s photograph was there too,” he said. Ranveer also said that he’s the ‘most unique leading man’ in a Karan Johar film. “I think Karan himself would admit that Rocky is unlike any other leading man in his films. I am really glad I could bring that distinction to his world of cinema. It was a fulfilling experience,” he said.

According to him, RRKPK has all the ingredients of a Johar film: “He has made classic romantic films like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ and RRKPK also explores the themes of family, relationships and music. That’s what we love about his cinema.”

In RRKPK, Ranveer and Alia Bhatt reunite on screen for the second time after ‘Gully Boy’ (2019). Reflecting on their journey together, both personally and professionally, Ranveer admitted how they have grown as individuals and actors. “Both Alia and I have grown as people and actors. I saw a beautiful version of Alia during ‘Gully Boy’ and found another version while working on ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. She’s a very dear friend and one of the greatest performers we have in Indian cinema. We all saw what she did in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and she is just getting started. As a co-actor, she elevates my work. I hope, in the years to come, we collaborate more,” said the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actor.

In the film, Alia portrays a Bengali character and there’s a scene where Ranveer’s character mistakenly identifies a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore as her grandfather (dada ji). This particular scene received some criticism from certain netizens. However, Ranveer believes that while depicting cultural elements, it’s essential to maintain a lighthearted approach. “I can very easily take a joke on myself. Also, I feel this is Karan Johar’s most humourous film. The audience should just have fun watching the film,” he said.