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It is his first directorial and he has some big names associated with his debut film Roy. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Jacqueline Fernandez, produced by T-series films, debutant Vikramjit Singh shares his personal and professional connect with Ranbir Kapoor and how good an actor Jacqueline Fernandez is and his plans to make more films with T-series.
You and Ranbir have been friends. So how was the approach while getting Ranbir on board for Roy?
Getting Ranbir on Roy was similar to getting any other actor on Roy for me actually. Ranbir is been a friend, I have known him since I was a child. We have discussed movies and cinema way before his debut began. When I wrote the film, I went up to him straight, he reacted very positively to the script and when we met he said – “I am on board”.
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But I had to still cast other people, so that took me some time. And Ranbir has lots of friend in this business probably closer friends than he is with me and he is an actor with lots of integrity, he always chooses his movies very correctly. In Roy, this was a weird part for him, because he hasn’t done something like this, but I think something about the part excited him and what we have done with his part is damn interesting and I am damn proud of it. I think it’s probably his best performance. And once he is on set he is the most fantastic actor to have. It’s not a surprise anymore to me that why every director he works with goes back to Ranbir Kapoor and sign him again. He is a pure pleasure to work with, professional to the core, great actor, director’s dream, he makes most directors look better than they are.
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Being an established actor did Ranbir Kapoor have any kind of inputs to your story at any stage of progression?
No, Ranbir is a very healthy actor; he is a smartest actor to work with because he will ask you extremely poignant questions on your film. When you go to him and say these are the scenes for the day, he will ask you a very simple question as to what are you trying to say in this scene, what the beats of the scene are and emotionally what is the context that you want to provide the audience… So as a director, when you are on set with him, as a director the pressure on you is to be really prepared. And about the inputs, yes, like any other involved actor, he had his inputs. But, at the end of it, he is someone who once signs the movie he will submit himself to a director. Ranbir Kapoor is a director’s actor. He can go totally wrong in a film, and he can go totally right in a film, and for that either blame the director or applaud the director.
Have you locked a particular film’s deal with T- series?
Yes, I am planning a lot of things. I am definitely going to do few more movies with Bhushan Patel ji for sure. But nothing’s locked as of now.
Jacqueline Fernandez is seen playing two characters. How did you zeroed down on casting her and how was she?
Jacqueline is a revelation of the century to me; she has done a great job. She is another Ranbir Kapoor; hard working, really prepared, and she was so committed. No one really believes this but, I saw Kick after having shot two days with her. When I met her over a cup of coffee, I found her perfect for Aisha as well as Tia. I said, I haven’t seen you act, I don’t want to see you act, but please understand that when you come on set, don’t get all your acting baggage, just come and start up all over again and get used with the language, and just say it the way you speak. Jacqueline is a really amazing person. When you talk to her, she has that interaction always, and that’s a sign of a powerful actor, because when they can communicate like that with you, somewhere they can act as well. So I thought Jacqueline could act. A lot of people questioned my decision at that time, but, I was pretty sure, and now see her performance, she is lovely in the film and something that she can be really proud of and I am really proud of. Great call, I couldn’t have asked for a better Tia or Aisha, she owns it.
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