Karan is biggest surprise in Bombay Velvet: Ranbir Kapoor

How have you been?

Great, I am really very happy. We have been aggressively promoting Bombay Velvet and I just can’t wait for the film to release. This is my first big release this year and I am really very anxious because this film is really one of my biggest films. I am happy because I am enjoying the film that I am doing. A lot is happening in my career.

And in your personal life too…

(Smiles) I have always been very protective about my personal life. That’s the reason I am not on any social networking site because I feel if I make everything public then the mystery of an actor loses. However, I have also realised over time that people will always be inquisitive about the lives, particularly personal lives of actors. So, I don’t find it strange anymore. It’s “part of the parcel” and there will be media intervention. I don’t find it uncomfortable anymore.

Anurag Kashyap too had been planning Bombay Velvet for quite sometime now.

Yes, the film was conceived quite some time back...in fact I hadn’t even entered the film industry at that time, when Anurag started planning this film. This is Anurag’s dream project and a lot of hopes are pinned to it. I too am hopeful about this film because we have given a lot to this film. It might sound a bit clichéd but Bombay Velvet is definitely a very different kind of film, which not too many of the Indian audience has seen. From the looks given to the actors to the entire treatment of the film, it will be visual treat.

You were not Anurag’s first choice for the Bombay Velvet.

(Smiles) It’s true but I feel extremely fortunate to have finally done this film. As I said, this film was long in the planning stages but the project couldn’t take off for various reasons. From Anil Kapoor to John Abraham to Saif Ali Khan, there were so many actors who were considered for this role over the years. Finally, I too was considered and I am happy to have been part of such a good film.

Anurag has taken quite a few bold decisions, one of them being casting you as Johnny Balraj, an action hero.

Oh! of course, I will do a lot of action and as I said, there are a lot of things that I have done in this film, which the audience will see me doing for the first time. I have never done action in any of my films so far. In fact in real life too I haven’t hit anyone…not even a fly (Smiles). So, definitely it will be a big treat for the audience. They have seen me romancing so far. There’s a lot of action in this film but the film is also a lot about Johnny and Rosy’s romance.

Was it difficult doing those action scenes?

I play a street fighter, who is very ambitious and wants to become big in life by any means. The film has a lot of boxing, as the film is set in the 1950s a lot went into the detailing. I was trained for quite a few months by an African trainer. It was difficult to some extent because boxing at that time wasn’t promoted as a sport in our country. We have shown boxing in a very raw fight… as you know as it happens in street fights. It was difficult but luckily I could pull it off.

Karan Johar, who plays the villain in the film, is another big surprise.

Trust me, he is probably the biggest surprise in the film. Karan is just outstanding in every scene. No one ever thought, at least not me, that he is such a good actor. We only know him as a good director but what he did as an actor in Bombay Velvet, is really commendable. We have seen him as a director but Karan is probably good at everything. He used to take suggestions from me. The best thing was that he never came with any baggage. He was just an actor and not a director on the sets.
 

How was it working with Anushka Sharma? You two will be pairing again in Karan Jorhar’s next film?

This is my first film with Anushka and I must say she is a very talented actress. She plays Rosy, a jazz singer and the heart of the nightclub Bombay Velvet. Like me she too took training in a lot of departments for this role and she came out with flying colours. I am eagerly looking forward to working with her in Karan’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. It is again going to be a very soft modern-day love story.