EXCLUSIVE! Ranbir Kapoor Reveals His Reaction When He Was Offered Shamshera

Ranbir Kapoor made a charismatic debut in the Hindi Film Industry with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic tale of star-crossed lovers, Saawariya in 2007. In the last 15 years, the supremely talented actor has wooed million hearts with his endearing performances which lingered for a long time.

A quick look at Ranbir's filmography shows that the actor has made career out of playing lovestruck man-child who is still coming of age and trying to find himself. In fact, the actor often jokes that he is the 'Harry Potter of Bollywood'.

However, with his last release, Sanju, Kapoor proved that he could ace a biopic as well and now, his upcoming film, Shamshera has him playing a quintessential Bollywood hero for the first time in his 15-year journey. Besides being his first 'mass' hero outing, another reason why this action adventure is special for Ranbir is because it features him in his career's first double role.

Recently, when Filmibeat met Ranbir Kapoor, we asked him if he was taken aback when Karan Malhotra approached him for Shamshera.

The Ae Dil Hai Mushkil star told us, "To be honest, I have been offered films of this nature, but I believe that this genre is the toughest of all. We take it for granted when we say, 'Hindi commercial film matlab hum kuch bhi bana sakte hain. Leave your brains at home and come.' You can't be part of those films anymore. Today, the audience isn't forgiving. They want something entertaining, new and amazing."

Ranbir continued, "When I was offered this film, I was grateful that Karan (Malhotra) had considered me for this part because Shamshera is a multigenre film. You get to do action, comedy, romance, drama. I am playing the father and the son. The opportunity is great."

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Reflecting upon his journey and why he signed Shamshera, the actor added, "I have more or less played characters who are coming of age or who are always the under hero. The struggles and conflicts have always been inner. I think for the first time, I am having a villain (laughs). I never had a villain in my life for any film. Ek villain tha Karan Johar in Bombay Velvet. This time, I have the great Sanjay Dutt. Touchwood, all the key aspects of making a good Hindi commercial film were there in this project. I saw that as an actor and that's how I came on board."

Earlier, director Karan Malhotra had mentioned in one of his interviews that Ranbir Kapoor was also his first choice for Shamshera and that he had already envisioned the Tamasha actor in the lead role upon completing the script.

Set in 1800s, Shamshera revolves around a slave who locks horn with a ruthless general to free his warrior tribe. Produced by Yash Raj Films, the ambitious project features Ranbir Kapoor, Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt in pivotal roles.