Ranbir Kapoor says he is a bigger fan of Raj Kapoor as a filmmaker than an actor: ‘We all are off-shoots of movies made by Raj Kapoor…’

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“He acted and produced Jagte Raho, though he didn’t direct it. That film also spoke to me, especially while I was in film school. I was watching films from different countries and cultures and when I saw Jagte Raho, I felt that this should be up there with all the other films that we watch from across the world which are applauded and given accolades,” he added.

Ranbir further highlighted the thematic richness of his grandfather’s works, noting that the films addressed a wide range of social issues. He pointed out that while Awaara dealt with casteism, Shree 420 explored themes of greed and the struggles of the underprivileged. Later in his career, Raj Kapoor turned his attention to movies infused with strong Indian moral values. Ranbir also emphasised his grandfather’s contributions to women-centric cinema, tackling themes of oppression in patriarchal society, as seen in Prem Rog and Ram Teri Ganga Maili.

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When asked which of Raj Kapoor’s films he would like to remake as a director, Ranbir said, “I would have directed every film in a different way, but all of them would have been atrocious. I don’t believe in remakes; I believe that every film is made to the best of its capabilities and we should not touch it, especially Raj Kapoor’s. But I would love to have a take on Shree 420, which is my favourite film.”

Ranbir Kapoor also praised his grandfather for the risks he took throughout his career, attributing his success to his willingness to push boundaries and defy conventions. He stressed that continuing someone’s legacy requires individuality. “When I started working in movies, my father was always against my choices. He always wondered, ‘What kind of movies are you doing? What is Barfi!, Wake Up Sid and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year? You should do more commercial films and speak to a larger audience.’ But at the point of time, these films spoke to me and I could surrender myself to these parts.” Ranbir elaborated by citing Raj Kapoor’s decision to make Bobby, a youth-centric film, at the age of 50 after the failure of Mera Naam Joker.

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“Of course, we all are off-shoots of movies made by Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan, yourself (Rahul Rawail), Shekhar Kapur and others. We have taken so much inspiration, but it’s your way of saying it. It’s your perception of life and what you have absorbed as a person. That’s why it’s individualistic. So, you can be influenced by all of them, but you have to be individualistic to make a mark,” he added.

Ranbir also revealed that Raj Kapoor was a great fan of legends like Charlie Chaplin, Satyajit Ray, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and NT Rama Rao, adding that a sense of brotherhood prevailed among the filmmakers of that era wherein they supported each other to make their visions get realised. Ranbir further mentioned that he was a bigger fan of Raj Kapoor as a filmmaker than an actor.

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On a personal note, Ranbir Kapoor reminisced about the warm, affectionate “dadaji (grandfather)” side of Raj Kapoor. “He was this big man with blue eyes who, whenever me and my sister (Riddhima) went to his house, would take us to his room and make us scan the entire place for the caramel toffees he had hidden there for us. He used to make us do ‘salaam’ and sing ‘Awara Hoon’. As the first grandson, I got a lot of love and attention. Whenever my mom fired me or shouted at me, I would call him up and he would, in return, fire my mom.” Recalling that Raj passed away when he was six, Ranbir said that it was when he saw so many people for the first time in his life that he realised his grandfather had done some things in his life that people valued. Ranbir also shared an anecdote about how, during a party, Raj Kapoor immediately attended to him after noticing he had been bitten by red ants. Ranbir said that his dadaji immediately took him to the washroom and cleaned up his legs.

When asked about the possibility of making a biopic on Raj Kapoor, Ranbir admitted it would be a daunting task. “I have thought about this a lot and discussed it with various filmmakers, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, to know how to make a film on him. In a biopic, you can’t just highlight the success factor or the highs in a person’s life. You should show the rues, struggles and relationship dynamics too. It’s a very tough biopic to make; I don’t know if my family would agree to most of it (the things to be portrayed).”