IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor in The Buckingham Murders.
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‘Her love for the story — be it understanding the story quickly or reading the script, then composing yourself in almost no time for the shot.’ ‘All of it is just so natural to her.’
But acting, Ranveer admits, “was never really part of any plan.”
Brar plays a grieving father whose child has been kidnapped in Hansal Mehta’s The Buckingham Murders, which will start streaming on Netflix from November 8, and he shares his experience with Divya Nair: “Everything was challenging. One of the pressures was the fact that there’s a director who’s putting his reputation on you. It’s an important film for him and he wants to give you an important role. That by itself puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders”
What was the best part about working on The Buckingham Murders?
The best part was that surreal feeling that I got.
There are few times in my life when I have felt overwhelmed with gratitude.
For me, that was the best part — moving from the kitchen to a film set.
I have never been to a film school.
Maybe making a short film somewhere was always a part of the plan, but not acting!
Acting was never really a part of any plan.
I think it has more to do with the manifest(ation) of the people who love me and care for me than me.
I think my preparation mostly is just understanding the character.
Fortunately, I’ve lived a fairly fruitful life with its successes and failures.
I’ve always been a people watcher.
I’ve always been interested in knowing and observing people.
I think my bit of preparing for my character was being the character — understanding it, going to places in my head with my character. Just like how I would go into the head of the person I’m cooking for — how do I touch, move and inspire them? It’s the same thing.
What was it like working with Kareena Kapoor?
It was great.
I think with Kareena, the lineage shows. The fact that you come from a family of film-makers is so deeply, intensely in your blood, it shows.
Her love for the story — be it understanding the story quickly or reading the script, then composing yourself in almost no time for the shot. All of it is just so natural to her.
She is the epitome of effortlessness.
The way she understood the medium and interacted with Hansal sir on things that she felt were relevant.
The kind of preparation that she’d put in it — maybe (she rehearsed it) months before and definitely the night before coming on the set the next day.
What was the most challenging part of working on a film like this?
Everything was challenging.
One of the pressures was the fact that there’s a director who’s putting his reputation on you.
It’s an important film for him and he wants to give you an important role.
That by itself puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.
There’s gratitude, and then there’s also the underlying responsibility to deliver.
That was definitely weighing on my mind.
Other than that, what eventually stayed with me was that the more difficult and unlike the characters you do, the more freeing it is.
Because for somebody who wants to be free and not just be the Ranveer that everybody sees on camera, it’s very freeing to do characters that are diametrically opposite to who you are (in real life).
It’s liberating.
What type of character roles interest you?
I am too new to pick and choose. I can only — with folded hands — thank people for whatever I’m getting.
I think grey characters really excite me because then it’s a much deeper internal conversation that I have to have with myself on every action.
Sometimes you have to justify an action.
Sometimes you have to convince yourself of an action, which, in normal life you wouldn’t need to, because we love living our life in black and white.
But yeah, beggars can’t be choosers (laughs). I’m happy to see what life has in store for me.
You’re a masterchef and we know that Hansal Mehta is a foodie. Kareena is also a foodie. What kind of conversations would you have on the sets?
Hansal sir is not just a foodie, he is also a bonafide chef.
I can explain a dish to him like I’d explain to my sous chef, not a novice. And he will get it.
He gets the details and intricacies of cooking.
He is not only fascinated with the end product that comes on the table, but also the process (of making it).
That probably helps him to understand and guide me better on how to meet my character.
Did you get to cook on the sets?
This was a very intense shoot, so cooking on the set was not possible.
We were mostly shooting in real locations or at somebody’s house.
There was no time and no kitchen setup.
But on off days, we probably cooked something together.
Kabhi chicken bana liya, kabhi aloo ya gobi.
On the last day, when we wrapped up, we cooked an entire feast for the crew — him (Hansal Mehta) and I.
We cooked chicken, mutton, we cooked biryani, lahori dal.
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