Ranveer Singh with Anushka Sharma in Band Baaja Baaraat

It was a decade back in Mohabbatein when Yash Raj Films had last launched a hero. That too it was Uday Chopra. Now you are the chosen one. How does it feel?

It’s a dream come true. I really come from nothing and nowhere. It’s really much, much more than I could have ever asked for. To be launched by a banner like Yash Raj, it’s really a dream come true. Even in my struggling days I imagined I would get a good part in my debut but I could not have imagined that I would be launched by someone like Aditya Chopra. It really is an honour and a privilege.

What all have you been doing before Band Baaja Baaraat?

I am a Mumbai boy. I have been born and brought up here. I did my schooling here. I did my college in America. I always wanted to be an actor from the time I was a kid. In the middle it did seem to me that it was a very far-fetched idea for a guy like me with no family backing to get a lead role in a Bollywood film.

I didn’t take up acting after school but during my second year in college when I took an acting class, I realised that acting is my first love and my only love and it’s all I know and all I want. My second minor was theatre and I studied it for two years thereafter. I went on to do all the six acting levels at the Indiana University in Bloomington, studying Shakespeare, movement, realism.

I came back to India in 2007 and started out by trying to become an assistant director. Because I thought an assistant director was a good vantage point if I had to make it in this difficult industry. You also get to learn a lot about the process of filmmaking, from start to finish. I assisted my friend Shaad Ali on some advertisements and I learnt a lot about how a set functions. After that I got into theatre here. But I didn’t get an opportunity to act. I had to do all the gadha-mazdoori because I was new in the group. I had to do carpentry, paint sets, move sets, all that. So I left that and started doing the conventional thing.

I got my pictures clicked and with my portfolio in hand I went like a struggling actor from office to office, meeting producers, directors and casting directors. Anybody who was willing to give me the time of day. This went on for three-and-a-half years.

Were they not interested in you?

They were. It was me who was being picky. I got a fantastic response from everyone. I used to tell the producers and directors that mine is a new face and that my face has never been seen before... in TV or in any ad-shad, nothing. So you have a blank slate to work with. They would all be curious about that. Whenever I did get an audition I used to get very good feedback. In fact I used to get more and more auditions because my track record at auditions was so good.

I knew that I could gamble and wait for a better offer and a better offer and a better offer. But somehow I wasn’t getting that big break. So despite all the encouragement it was not an easy time.

How did that big offer come?

Finally as I turned 26 I got an offer I couldn’t refuse (laughs). After all it was from Yash Raj Films. Actually the casting director of the film whose name was Shanoo Sharma, she happened to meet Adi Sir (Aditya Chopra) and he told her that he has an opening for a new boy. He needed a rank newcomer for the part in this film that he had. He asked her if she knew anyone. She recommended me and I was asked to go to their in-house casting division to give an audition (read box for the audition details).

Adi Sir told me later that it was after that very first audition that he had decided to cast me as Bittoo Sharma in Band Bajaa Baaraat. But for the film’s director Maneesh Sharma to be convinced I had to give a few more auditions through two whole weeks. Every second day he would call me over to test a new aspect — “Acting toh tu ne kar li, let’s see if you can dance, let’s see if you can do an emotional scene, let’s see if you can do an out-and-out comic scene.” After those two weeks, I was called to Adi Sir’s office and they confirmed me!

Before Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, your BBB co-star Anushka Sharma had said how she had watched DDLJ a million times and would worship Shah Rukh Khan. What’s your story?

I have been inspired by the work of all kinds of stars and actors. I grew up on Mr Amitabh Bachchan, of course. Then there was Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor. But it was not only DDLJ for me. I also used to watch David Dhawan comedies. I loved Raja Babu and Judwaa. I am a big, big Bollywood fan.

In fact, I became a fan of Anushka’s after watching Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi! So like she was working with her idol Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne..., I was working with her in BBB! It’s quite surreal (laughs out loud)!

You even had to kiss her in the film. Was it easy?

It was fascinating working with Anushka because she is not someone who has been formally trained in acting while I have been formally trained. So for me, she is an actor who is completely natural and totally untarnished. She has not been corrupted by training.... The kiss was okay. I was anxious but it went off fine.

It’s also Maneesh’s first film. Were you two like brothers in arms?

Yeah, yeah. Because it was our first film you can imagine the kind of energy there was on the sets. We poured every last drop of sweat into making a good quality product. We both knew this is it! Given our (non-filmi) background this film is going to be make or break for us. This film is going to define us for the rest of our lives as our first film. We were both operating from the same space and that made us give more than 100 per cent, more than we knew we could give.

A FOR AUDITION

Ranveer Singh was on a date when his casting director for Band Baaja Baaraat tried to reach him for a role in the Yash Raj Films production. She left him seven missed calls and then finally a text message saying, “Adi Chopra audition”. When Ranveer finally saw the message he rushed in a T-shirt reading Born To Be Famous. And what did he do? Ranveer danced to the songs My name is Lakhan and Chhaiyya chhaiyya. Director Maneesh Sharma then remarked that Ranveer’s moves were “meant for the streets, not the big screen”!

But eventually Ranveer’s personality, talent and perseverance bowled Maneesh over and he bagged the role of Bittoo Sharma in Band Baaja Baaraat.