Ranbir Kapoor has a pimple on his forehead (which co-star Deepika Padukone gleefully points out) but that makes the star all the more one among us. Ranbir is a megastar today though his recent choice of films — Raajneeti, Rockstar, Barfi — have hardly been ‘commercial’. He tells us why he would rather be an actor than a star.

“In today’s day and age, an actor will be the new star. I have grown up watching Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Sunny Deol on the big screen — there is an aura to them, they have stardom. In those days, there was no media. We are lucky; today, the media has helped put us on a pedestal and we are ‘created’ stars. So it’s important for people like me to use the time we have here to build a body of work that will give us our little space in the industry.”

He modestly insists that stars like the Khans must be embarrassed to be even compared to the younger crop. “They have been around for 20 years, while I am just five years and 10-films old. So I don’t take any tags seriously.”

Considering his Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani song ‘Badtameez dil’ has become all the rage, one wonders on which occasion did his dil become badtameez? There is a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he looks at Deepika sitting next to him and says, “When you have beautiful costars like her, you do become badtameez! But of course, there is a limit to doing badtameezi.”

His dance moves in ‘Badtameez dil’ remind one of his late grand-uncle Shammi Kapoor’s inimitable dancing style. “But I will let you in on a secret,” says Ranbir. “Neither he nor I are trained dancers. Technically, I am not a good dancer. If you watch carefully, my legs go somewhere and my hands elsewhere. But if you have a sense of rhythm and a smile it reaches the audience.”

On co-star Deepika

In Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ranbir reteams with ex-girlfriend Deepika — over the last couple of years, the two have charted their own professional course and grown to be friends too. “I had always expected Deepika to grow into a fine actress but didn’t realise it would happen so soon. When I worked with her this time, for the first time I felt intimidated by her. I know her strengths and weaknesses too well, but she surprised me.”

Ask how he deals with life under scrutiny and he jokes: “When they write about others, I feel good! Khud pe aati hai, toh band bajti hai.” On a more serious note, he adds, “I do understand that people are curious about our lives and there is a demand for such news today — who is dating whom, who is marrying whom or not…but one has to be focused. It’s a glamorous job and when your film releases on a Friday, people forget what has been written about you and only look at your work. So I guess we have to take it with a pinch of salt.”

Up next for the actor is Abhinav Kashyap’s Besharam in which he gets to work with his famous parents, Neetu and Rishi Kapoor. “The film is almost complete — its releasing on October 2. I was overwhelmed about working with my parents. But then I thought of them as co-stars and it became easy. Dad loves to bully everyone around while mum is the calming force.”

With a torrent of newcomers invading Bollywood, is the atmosphere today more cut-throat? No, says Ranbir. “I wish well for all my colleagues. From Ranveer Singh to Siddharth Malhotra to Varun Dhawan to Arjun Kapoor, Sushant Singh to Amit Sadh — I could just go on and on. We may not meet each other socially except at film parties or award ceremonies but we do look out for each other. Yes, I do get both happy and jealous when I see a good performance but that doesn’t stop me from texting them a ‘well done’ message.

So, no insecurities? “I am 30 and I think age helps you settle in your own good space. I was never an insecure person. Money has never been the drive. I am not just competing with actors of my generation but everyone from Amitabh Bachchan to Darsheel Safary. As long as I am on a movie set and getting films and meeting people who seem to like my performances, I am set.”

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/i-cant-dance/article4727288.ece

The incident occurred yesterday morning. On his way back from Dubai where he was promoting his upcoming film, Ranbir Kapoor had an experience he will not forget anytime soon. He met a lady on the flight, who despite being an ardent fan of the character he played in Barfi, failed to recognise the actor. And this, after having a chat with him for half-anhour.

An amused Ranbir played along. The lady, who had this curious rendezvous with Ranbir, was Sophia Jammal Samtani –a Lebanese married to an Indian, who was travelling from Lagos to Mumbai to meet her husband.

An eyewitness told Mirror, “Dubai was a stopover. Sophia was sleeping blissfully when Ranbir came and sat next to her. She woke up about half-an-hour before the flight landed in Mumbai.”

Ranbir struck up a conversation with her and the topic soon veered towards films. Sophia told Ranbir that although she has not seen many Hindi films, some have made a deep impact on her. She also mentioned Fanaa and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. It was when Ranbir asked if she had seen any recent film, Sophia said excitedly: “Sorry but I forgot Barfi. That was one film in recent times, that will always remain entrenched in my memory. All three actors (she did not name them as Ileana D’Cruz, Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor though) gave noteworthy performances, especially that guy Barfi.”

They kept chatting and it was only when the flight touched the runaway, Ranbir introduced himself saying: “Ma’am, I am Barfi.”

Mirror contacted Sophia, and she confirmed the story and confessed: “When he told me he was the Barfi guy, I thought he was joking. Although he had the same spiky hair…but I couldn’t place him. It was when he insisted that I realised my faux pas. It was embarrassing. I am sure Barfi (note: she is still not calling him Ranbir) must have thought I am dumb.”

As the flight came to a halt, a very sheepish Sophia requested Ranbir for a picture. “Thankfully, he agreed. I am so happy to have met Barfi (Ranbir who?).”

Source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/entertainment/bollywood/When-Ranbir-lost-out-to-Barfi/articleshow/20114981.cms