Any chat with Ranbir Kapoor is always cherished and this one was no different. Just a few days before the release of his film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar that’s now playing in theatres, The Telegraph caught up with Ranbir for a one-on-one interaction on his latest rom-com with a difference, why three-month-old daughter Raha is his only focus now and missing his dad Rishi Kapoor.
Over the last few weeks, fans have jumped on you, there has at least been one instance of someone trying to kiss you on stage, and, of course, many happy-tears moments. Has this been one of the craziest movie promotional tours for you?
I think I have been crying and complaining about promotions for too long now! (Laughs) I am now in the acceptance stage where I know I just have to do it. So I am no longer crying... I have just told myself, ‘Try and enjoy it’ (smiles). What I do now during promotions is to have some new conversations.
Speaking of new, there is such a fresh and fun feel about Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. Was that what leapt out at you when you were offered the film?
I had done quite a few rom-coms in the early part of my career, and I was kind of done with it after a point because I felt that we were not doing enough in the genre, and whatever we were making didn’t have the feel of the Indian context and culture. I somehow felt it was a dead genre... nobody was making any interesting stories.
I felt that the genre had become bastardised for a bit where even a contemporary couple conversing in a film was bracketed into the genre of a romcom.
When Luv (Ranjan, the director of Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar) and I decided to collaborate a few years ago, we were actually thinking of making another film, which also had Ajay Devgn in it. That film didn’t work out for certain reasons and right after that, he narrated the idea of Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar to me. It just instinctively appealed to me. It was a very engaging story and even though I have played so many of these parts, it just felt like a new character to me.
I liked what the film was trying to say; it was very rooted, it had good family values, and it had some catchy lines... so it was a no-brainer that I would want to do this.
The rom-com genre is inherently one which is feel-good. It makes you happy, it gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling in your stomach when you watch it.
A rom-com always needs fresh energy and a new pair. Luv and I got really lucky that Shraddha (Kapoor) said ‘yes’ to the film. Shraddha and I have very similar creative energies. The way she approaches her work is very similar to mine and I feel very comfortable around her.
You just said you have been a part of a lot of rom-coms. But they weren’t really true-blue rom-coms. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani wasn’t, Tamasha definitely wasn’t...
Correct. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was more of a coming-of-age story. Tamasha could have been a romcom, but it went in the opposite direction! (Laughs)
How would you describe your Mickey in Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar?
Mickey is definitely a character I hadn’t played before. He has certain qualities and a value system that I would like to imbibe. He is someone I aspire to be like....
Even though he’s a ‘makkaar?!’
(Laughs) Without being too harsh, I think makkaar is a desi way of describing someone who is cheeky and mischievous. It’s maybe even used in an endearing way sometimes.
When it comes to the ‘jhootha’ part of the title, what are the lies that most men spout on a daily basis and get away with?
The most cliched one is when your wife or girlfriend asks, ‘How am I looking?’ And irrespective of how she’s looking, the man has to say, ‘The best!’ (Laughs)
Most men won’t even look up when they say: ‘You look great every day and I don’t need to tell you that every day.’ That’s a white lie most men tell. And it’s anyway a trick question! (Laughs)
What did you have to give up to get those enviable abs you sport in the film?
Sugar, salt, good food... everything! In short, I had to give up on life! (Laughs) it’s not the kind of body that anyone should aspire for. I don’t want to propagate a body like this because it’s not a normal kind of body. It’s definitely not healthy.
Did you often get hangry during all those weeks and months when you deprived yourself?
I am inherently a very calm guy so I don’t really get angry or hangry. But at that time, I was just a very unhappy person (laughs).
Ranbir and Alia Bhatt with their daughter Raha
Marriage to Alia Bhatt, a huge box-office hit in Brahmastra and a baby girl... all of this has happened to you in less than a year. What’s your mind space like, personally and professionally, at the moment?
My ambitions, goals and passions are very similar to what they were. That hasn’t changed since Day One. I am anyway someone who doesn’t work much... I only work 180- 200 days a year. I try and live a balanced life.
Work is always there, but what I am most excited about right now is my role as a father. I just want to maintain a healthy work-life balance, but right now I am leaning more towards paying more attention to my personal life because of my daughter Raha.
I want to do some good, inspired work and also balance things out with Alia so that she can also do her work with utmost passion and dedication. Spending time with my family is high on my priority list, much more than anything else.
When I am at home, I completely hog Raha’s time and attention. I don’t even let anyone else carry her! Alia has been very, very gracious and patient with me. She doesn’t fight with me for Raha’s attention (laughs). Right now, Raha is in Kashmir with her mom (where Alia is shooting for Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani with Ranveer Singh) and I am missing her terribly.
Who does she look like more?
Right now, like every Indian family we have a war going on where every person comes in and gives their own opinion and perspective. My side says she looks like me, Alia’s side says she looks like Alia. Even Alia and I were doing that a lot in the first month, constantly fighting over who Raha looks like! But eventually, I will be very happy if she looks like Alia but as long as she has my personality. Having two feisty women in my life will make it very tough for me! (Laughs)
Raha was named so by your mom. Did you guys fight over what to name her?
Ya ya, we were flirting with a lot of names! We had a full folder of boy names and girl names. But when my mom (Neetu Kapoor) suggested Raha, it just made a place in everyone’s heart and head. We loved the sound of the name and what it stood for (bliss and happiness). We all loved it instinctively.
Now that you have become a father yourself, do you miss your dad even more?
Yes, I do. Losing a parent is a lifechanging moment, you are never the same person again. We lost him (Rishi Kapoor) and within a year, I got married and Raha came into our lives... it’s been a lot to process. I miss him a lot, I think of him a lot and I just think about how happy and excited he would have been to experience Raha. But that’s life and I don’t like to think too much about it because it really hurts.