Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who has worked some of the topmost stars of the Hindi film industry, spoke about the differences that he has noticed in Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor as people and as performers. In an interview, he described them as ‘completely different’ people, both in terms of how they interact with others, and how they approach scenes. Imtiaz worked with Ranbir in Tamasha and Rockstar, and with Shah Rukh in Jab Harry Met Sejal.
In an interview with mid-day, the filmmaker was asked if Shah Rukh and Ranbir are any different, and he said, “Completely different. Shah Rukh is a very charming, intelligent, kind person. The commonality is that both are very interested in people, and both are very good with people in different ways. Shah Rukh has the confidence to reach out and talk to people. Ranbir, I feel, is inhibited. So, he does not make the initial approach to start talking to somebody. He waits for them to start talking to him. But he’s as interested (in people) as Shah Rukh is.”
Also read – Amar Singh Chamkila: Imtiaz Ali set out to make a movie about the slain singer, but he made a movie about himself instead
Asked how their personalities inform their acting, Imtiaz said, “As actors, they’re chalk and cheese; completely different. Ranbir lets himself go. Often times, he’s not aware of reality when he’s in a shot. He’s in the zone. He’s lost to the world; he’s lost to the process of filming. But Shah Rukh is not like that. Shah Rukh is also very aware. He’s also from theatre. He’s got much more knowledge about acting. Ranbir is very instinctive, but he’s also extremely informed, extremely passionate. He’s completely informed about the script. I would be surprised, every second or third day, he would read the whole script from beginning to end. In the little time he gets to sleep, he would also do this.”
Imtiaz said that Ranbir will often have questions about elements of a movie that go beyond his scenes. “With Shah Rukh, I can discuss a style of performance, and he goes and does it. With Ranbir, it’s more instinctive,” he said. In the same interview, Imtiaz said that he resented the popular opinion that he was a ‘snooty’ director, which is what inspired him to make a movie like Jab Harry Met Sejal. He admitted that he didn’t consider how Shah Rukh’s massive stardom would impact the film’s reception, and said that he would perhaps design it differently in hindsight.
Click for more updates and latest Bollywood news along with Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the world at The Indian Express.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
