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28 March 2024

Bollywood’s Ranveer Singh: I will be ready to retire by 35

Ranveer Singh (Photo by Shweta Dembla - Dubai in a Frame)

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

Standing square shouldered as the Dubai skyline sailed past us, actor Ranveer Singh appeared a content man.

“There was a time I had a thirst for a home out there somewhere, but now I am more stable, life is more stable,” the actor bellowed out in his booming pitch.

Ranveer Singh (Photo by Shweta Dembla - Dubai in a Frame)

Almost snapping out of a revere a few seconds later, Singh went: “Look at me, I almost appear like a Don, standing over his kingdom. But yes, a home in Dubai is still a dream, but why stop there? Why not New York and London too?”

Glancing over at this journalist’s exasperated face, and he sobers down, a tad, to say: “It’s really Goa. There is something about that city that fulfils your existence the minute you set foot on its soil. There is this energy, a vibration that makes you feel – home.

Ranveer Singh (Photo by Shweta Dembla - Dubai in a Frame)

“I want to be super successful by 35, be based out of Goa, have a few vintage vehicles in the garage, a few kids playing on the lawn...”

Prompt him further and he said: “Yes, I could see myself retire by 35. Or maybe do one movie a year. But I need to be the king of my castle before I get there.”

As the voice trails off, one wonders if this rosy retirement plan is the genuine stuff or is Singh playing the docile card for the cameras. For those who know him, the quiet life is a far cry from his “hyper personality” as ‘Lootera’ co-star Sonakshi Sinha is quick to point out.

Ranveer Singh (Photo by Shweta Dembla - Dubai in a Frame)

The duo, which was in Dubai on Thursday for the promotion of this Bollywood period film, shared a sizzling chemistry that could make any person wonder if the truth swirling about their one-time affair carried any weight.

Singh, whose media savvy quotes are reminiscent of a younger Shah Rukh Khan, who never hesitated in uttering the right words when the camera switched on, volunteered to pass on that information without being asked.

“When I had signed on for ‘Lootera’, Sonakshi and I barely knew one another. We had performed once together at an awards ceremony and another time had shot for a magazine cover,” he recalled. “But that was enough for rumours to be dished out in spades that we were dating.

“I dreaded the first day of our shoot, thinking how awkward things would be. Sonakshi was already there on the sets, and as soon as she saw me arrive, she yelled out: ‘Hey boyfriend’.

“It was the most wonderful thing she could do to break the ice and we laughed over it. That set the mood for the so-called chemistry between us that everyone has been talking about.”

Talking about his upcoming ‘Lootera’, which releases on July 4 across UAE cinemas, Singh’s character Varun is a far cry from the actor’s real-life personality, which the actor admitted, scared him to no end.

“During rehearsals, I would struggle. I couldn’t understand the long pauses, the unspoken dialogues, the pauses. This is not who I am,” he laughed. “My director Vikramaditya Motwane finally sat me down one day to tell me that I wasn’t obligated to entertain anyone. I had to do this for myself. I had to push past that fear to entertain people and embrace Varun. Once I managed that, I was able to perform beautifully.”

The two-film old Singh, who’s tasted success that most Bollywood newcomers would dream of, revealed he has no script sense while selecting a project.

“When it comes to script sense, I have none. Aditya Chopra [Yash Raj Films] will confirm that,” he laughed. “I tend to go by instinct; I’m actually drawn to directors whose work I’ve seen before. A lot depends on my first consumption of the script. Does it evoke a strong emotion, am I engaged, laughing. I remember reading ‘Lootera’ alone at night in my room and I was crying. Such was the power of the script.”

Does that mean the film could possibly vie for the 100-crore club that most Bollywood film fraternity are perpetually chasing?

“You can’t deny the fixation on numbers. But it is not a personal barometer. For me, the memory of a film is significant,” he explained. “Films like ‘Udaan’, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ and even my ‘Band Bajaa Baraat’ are memorable films, which were not commercially 100-crore films but remain forever etched in people’s memories.

“As a an artist I hope to be free one day to choose such films that are confident in my bandwith; a time when my name won’t be important. My bandwith will.”