EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Ranbir And Deepika Talk About Love, Life And Tamasha!

Ranbir and Deepika were in the national capital this Diwali to celebrate the festival of lights and talk about their upcoming film Tamasha. We got to catch up with the stunning duo for a candid chat and they spilled the beans on how they celebrate Diwali, their experience of filming Tamasha and spending eight years in the film industry. 

Ranbir and Deepika on completing eight years in the film industry

Choosing to speak on behalf of Deepika as well, Ranbir said, “It’s been lovely; it doesn’t feel like eight years. Our film released on the same date, years ago, but we feel so much of love and so much of gratefulness towards media, towards the audience, towards people from the film industry, because they’ve really given us chances, they’ve really given us lot of pats on our backs, lot of brickbats and everything. It’s been such a wonderful journey. I only look forward to the next few years, you know the films that Deepika has done in her life, the films that I myself do, I’m really grateful for everything.”

First impression of Deepika on Ranbir in Bachna Ae Haseeno

Deepika: She’s so stiff! (Laughs)

Ranbir: I think the first impression I had of her was… see when Om Shanti Om came out, Deepika became the darling of India. It was accepted from the first film itself that this one is someone who’s going to challenge the greats of Indian cinema. But I think, when we worked together in Bachna Ae Haseeno, we both were so new! You know we both were trying to find ourselves, both trying to understand films. So it was like a little bit of togetherness that was happening. But then when I worked with her after a period of three years on Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, that’s when I just realized that what a jump this actress has taken. Her understanding, her craft, the way she’s expressing emotions, she’s just kind of got it. And that was very heartwarming to see. 

Importance of Imtiaz Ali in their career

Deepika: For both of us in a strange way, my first film with Imtiaz and his first film with Imtiaz, he as a director has opened something within us. To me it happened with Love Aaj Kal. I felt I was transforming as an actor, discovering new things about myself and I started enjoying my craft. From what I hear from Ranbir, I think it was a similar experience for him in Rockstar. It was not that for him that he had not given phenomenal performances before that, but there’s a certain understanding or equation that we share with Imtiaz that I think even in Rockstar, he started understanding his characters, a little more differently, with a little more depth, whatever it is that they discovered with each other. So, but I also feel like in a way that Ranbir and I both look up to Imtiaz in a sense things that he tells us, good bad whatever it might be, I think we take it very seriously.

So we admire him, we look up to him, more like that mentor and student sort of equation. But without the sternness and the strictness it has, it also has the ease of friends. He’s someone who’s non judgmental. You can talk to him about any aspect of your life, professional or otherwise, he shares about his with us and we take each other’s suggestions and opinions very very seriously. 

Their opinion on Censor Board axing the kissing scene from Tamasha

Deepika: Well, it’s not one of the most ideal situations. I think that it is correct in its place as far as the film is concerned, as far as the journey of these two characters is concerned. And more than anything I’d like to believe that we’re not people who do provocative things to sensationalize a film. It’s done in a very aesthetic manner and it’s done because it’s correct for the film and it’s correct for those characters for the journey they’re going through in the film. Having said that I think we respect their decision and if they feel that’s what is correct then we go with that.

We didn’t really have a problem. I don’t think it was as severe as reported. It’s not that they’ve cut something or you know we kind of challenged.

Actually in a way they paid us a compliment. They said that the chemistry was a bit too much for them to handle so I think it’s a compliment. It’s not going to affect our film honestly. 

Ranbir: To be honest it’s an ongoing debate in everyone’s mind because India is such a progressive country that new filmmakers have been coming in. Actors have been becoming brave to kind of experiment with different characters. So yes we want a certain kind of freedom to express ourselves in certain films. You know Deepika, me and Imitaz, we all are responsible kind of artists. We’re not going to do something on screen which will impact the society in a negative way. We do want to make a positive impact on the society through our movies. But, having said that, the censorship and people involved, we respect them, but taking things forward I think they can become a little bit more lenient, a little bit more understanding and a little bit more open minded where art and films are concerned. 

Memories of Diwali

Deepika: I just did one ad with my parents on Diwali, and I think exactly like the ad says, the beauty of it is how predictable it is. The fact that you know you’re going to wear new clothes, the fact that you’re going to celebrate with your family, that there’s going to be a certain ritual and certain routine, that at this time a pooja will happen, your mother will call out to you in the same way. The gifts will be distributed, the sweets will be distributed, and everyone will sit together and eat. You’ll do a pooja, you light crackers, and you light the diyas. I think that’s the beauty of it that some things never change

Ranbir: It’s always been like a very family oriented festival where we make sure we’re with family and we go to my grandmother’s house. We go to RK Studios where we do a Laxmi pooja at home and wear new clothes, give gifts to everybody, your staff and loved ones. And then we go to respective parties. Parents go to their friends, we go to our friends, but I think this year everyone’s going to go to Amitabh Bachchan’s house who calls the whole fraternity to celebrate. It’s always fun because everyone’s under one roof, there’s a lot of positivity and happiness, a lot of like complimenting people about their work and criticism. So it’s a good time for everybody to come under one roof and celebrate. 

Creative differences between Ranbir and Deepika

Ranbir: I’m sure there are, and they should be! It’s not in a way conflicting that we’ve had fights, but Deepika has a very strong opinion, I have an opinion and Imtiaz has an opinion. Film making is not about dictatorship! You know everybody is coming in together with their ideology. It’s a marriage of thoughts and we enjoy that also. I’ve never worked with Deepika in a film where it’s been that no we have to do things in this way or just do it this way. So it’s a lot of give and take and lot of improvisation and care and respect for each other’s work and talent that we can take things forward.

On debacles in the recent past (referring to Roy and Bombay Velvet)

Ranbir: My first film was a big disaster when it released. I feel the pressure, I feel the heat. I feel that the audience trusted me and paid their hard-earned money to come and see my movie and I didn’t entertain them, I let them down. So I feel that I have to work at it, I’ve to kind of work at earning that trust. Because there’s nothing like a box office success, we don’t make movies for ourselves; we’re not making movies for critics. We’re making movies for audiences and the least we can do is make good engaging and entertaining films. And that’s what the process is. To constantly try something new, try something which is not boring yourself as an actor and give them entertainment. After Tamasha, I have Jagga Jasoos, Ayaan’s film and then I’ve Raju Hirani’s next.

Deepika: I’ve not signed anything new. I think I’ve had a good year with Piku and Tamasha and now Bajirao Mastani coming up. So I think it will take me a while to get over it and sink my teeth into anything else. 

Deepika on her dream role

I don’t understand the question of a dream role. My attempt as an actor is to take on each role that I find exciting and make that a dream role. You make it as challenging and as exciting as you can and you hope that in the process of making certain films you make them iconic and make them exciting for yourselves. 

Deepika on was she worried about Ranbir after the failure of Bombay Velvet

Was I worried about him? Not at all! He knows what he’s doing. It doesn’t surprise me because everyone’s career goes through its ups and downs. What you can’t take away from someone is their talent, and there’s abundance of that. He’s also very hard working. He’s not someone who takes his lineage for granted. He’s not someone who takes his work for granted and he’s not someone who takes the audience and film for granted. I’ve also been in a phase in my career where some of the films I’ve done back to back did not work, but we all know I think with certain maturity, you realize that it’s a part of everyone’s journey and career and it’s only going to make him a better person.

Ranbir on mimicking Dev Anand in Tamasha

I’m not a good mimic artist. I worked with a mimic artist, he trained me for a week. I think Imtiaz just writes such good dialogues and he writes such good scenes. It’s not really an actor’s performance, it’s the kind of the scene and the vibe of the whole world that works and I’m really happy that I got a chance to pay homage to Dev Sahab in a movie.

Ranbir’s special ode to Deepika

Imtiaz had a celebratory dinner because I was coming back then we went to a bar. SoImtiaz told me that he has spent a good two hours with her and I think that’s a similar conversation he probably had with her during Love Aaj Kal when he just talks to her and he’s so happy to kind of hangout with Deepika.

He says this girl has something which he still has not discovered yet. So I think there’s  a lot more that Imtiaz has to discover in Deepika that he’s gonna work more with her, you know give her another challenging role. And that’s always exciting for actors when you work with directors twice, there’s not much that you can surprise them with because they know you so well that the look you’re gonna give and when you’re happy. But I think Imtiaz feels that with Deepika there’s no set pattern. She’s someone who is like a volcano who can just come out anyhow.

Ranbir on joining/not joining Twitter

I don’t know, maybe tomorrow, day after, next year, I don’t know. Right now I’ve kept away from the temptation, but I’ve never said never!

I’m very aware of social media! Deepika interrupts and says, “The other day I was putting up a tweet, and he told me, use this emoji, use this one.”

I’ve spoken about this a lot. Social media has become such a big platform today and especially in the field of films that we come from, it’s very important to be relevant on such a platform. Hopefully, I can muster some courage and come on it. Right now I’m not on it because I feel against it. I’m just not on it because I feel less confident about it.

Watch the full interview here: