Sanju actor Ranbir Kapoor: Playing the superhero doesn’t come naturally to me

But a film on an actor, who has been embroiled in multiple legal issues, may end up glorifying his life.

Not in this film. In this film, you see him suffer. You see what drugs can do to you or what keeping unlicensed guns can result in. You see the price he had to pay for being irresponsible — towards his life, his relationships. This film is not propaganda; there is merit in the story and a lot to learn from Sanjay Dutt’s mistakes. The film doesn’t shy away from that. It just shows an unknown aspect of him, his vulnerabilities. Although, when the film was offered to me, I did have my doubts.

Sanju actor Ranbir Kapoor said that the fact a biopic is being made on an actor who is still there, still relevant, is unusual.

What doubts?

I was sceptical. I wondered what he had done and what about his life was so inspiring that one could make a film on it. I was also not sure how I would play him: should I mimic him or just be the character? But then I read the script and couldn’t believe he had gone through so much. It’s the story of a flawed man. Also, just the fact that a biopic is being made on an actor who is still there, still relevant, is unusual. To make such a film with a beginning, middle and end is quite challenging.

Growing up, how well did you know Sanjay Dutt?

He was a family friend, but to me, he was a star. There was this whole myth around him, of his drugs’ phase, his girlfriends, his sports cars and watches. And that’s what I knew of him. I became quite close to him. I used to work out in his gym and he had gifted me a Harley Davidson bike six years ago on my birthday. It’s only when I read the script that I discovered a different facet to him. I started to see him as a real person, someone human, someone vulnerable.

Ranbir Kapoor said after reading Sanju’s script he saw Sanjay Dutt as a real and vulnerable person.

But what did he mean to that generation of young boys?

I used to be a fan and I had his poster in my cupboard. He represented the alpha male even though now I see that’s not who he was. But that’s also the kind of time it was. The cinema of the ’80s and ’90s expected that (image) of a male star.

Cinema is changing today and male actors, especially you, tend to play more vulnerable characters.

I enjoy playing the underdog, never the superhero or the tough guy. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I enjoy a Barfi! or a Rockstar. My character in Besharam was an alpha male and I don’t have the confidence as an actor to play that.

Sanju actor Ranbir Kapoor said he enjoys playing an underdog.

Can a male star be vulnerable off screen or do the same old norms apply?

Is my public image very alpha? But then a public image is also created by the media. I have never been interested in giving any impression of myself. My image is created by the films I do and the relationships I am in. It may be a wrong take and I am okay with that because I am in showbiz. If you want to think I am a womaniser, sure.

Can a male star admit to a depression problem, as Deepika Padukone did?

If I wanted to go public and it could change someone’s life, I would. But otherwise, vulnerability is very personal, it is not for the public.

You play Sanjay Dutt from his young age right up till the age of 60. Which phase of his life did you most connect with?

His time during the 1980s and his relationship with his dad. We are both sons of actor-fathers. The Indian dynamic of a father-son relationship is complex, and that Hirani has managed to explore beautifully. There is a certain fear of my father and a distance I have from him. It is a complex relationship. That helped me understand the layer in Sanjay Dutt’s story. The fear he felt, the desire for his father to like him and understand him. The need to be like his father or better, and, equally, the fear of failure.

Sanju actor Ranbir Kapoor said he connected the most with Sanjay Dutt’s 1980s phase and his relationship with his dad.

For an acclaimed actor, you have seen a fair share of failure, too.

Failure in the film world is very different. A film may fail now but the repercussions come a few years later. It’s a tough opponent. Success in films doesn’t go to the head; you go, ‘Phew, bach gaye.’ But, with failure, you question yourself and your choices, your confidence takes a beating, you wonder if the shine has faded, if it will ever come back.

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I don’t get too bogged down by failure because I have seen it closely. My father would be depressed each time his film failed and I have heard my mom talk about how she dealt with that. That said, failure is a personal journey. Having seen it closely can prepare you but you know it fully only when you go through it. Failure will hit you and hit you hard. Because you want to be successful, you want to be a star. I just hope my failures have made me a better actor and a better person. There are so many people out there, who are more talented than me. I want them to feel I am here because I am working hard for it and that I am not taking what I have for granted.