Ranveer Brar, who is a well-known chef, was recently seen in the film ‘The Buckingham Murders‘. He told that as soon as he gave his first shot on the set of this film, Hansal Mehta made a dirty face, seeing which he got upset because Kareena was also present there. He said- After that scene I became numb for three minutes.
You all are familiar with celebrity chef Ranveer Brar’s delicious recipes as well as his eloquent talks while cooking, but now this master chef is also finding his place in the world of acting. After the gay role of Modern Love, Ranveer Barara is in the news these days with his latest film ‘The Buckingham Murders’. A special conversation with him.How did you get attracted to acting while cooking?
I consider myself an artist and storyteller. Be it food or acting, I try to convey my message to you. So this form of story telling, whether it is Munshi Premchand’s stories or films, the way of telling the story, how you can touch someone with your words, was unique to me from the beginning. It has been very fascinating. This was the attraction that attracted me towards this medium. I have seen a lot of world cinema and I have also been familiar with theatre, yes, it is a different thing that I never had the courage to do it. But I always believe that the emotions that films can create in us are like no other. Then I also did a short course in acting called Adishakti in Pondicherry. This course is based on Natyashastra, where I tried to understand the expression of acting. This was in 2015, when I did a 10-day short course. After this I repeated this course again and started developing my understanding of acting.
You started your acting career with a gay character in Modern Love, were there any hesitations regarding this character?
When I agreed to that role, it was a discomfort for me. I like discomfort. Even when I became a cook, I was uncomfortable because even then people said, what is he doing? But to be honest, life had become very easy for me. I felt there should be some discomfort and that role of Gay was there. If everything is going well, I don’t enjoy it. Yes, there was definitely a thought that what will people say after starting with this role? But I thought, it will be seen when it happens.
As a renowned chef, you have the image of a family member in women’s homes, so how much challenge did you face in playing a misogynist character in The Buckingham Murders?
I guess, we’re all everything. We want to see the world from a different perspective. There are many such characters around us. Now I am 48 years old and have seen such people around me. My effort has been to show my shortcomings along with my good qualities, only then does acceptance come. However, this role was very challenging for me, because in Modern Love, my character was of a chef who was in love. It was easy to show that love through the eyes, but in The Buckingham Murders you are neither a chef nor are you in love. But one good thing was that we were in London for 20 days and during the entire 20 days I was lost in the same role. There was no pressure to become Ranveer after coming home.
How was the experience of working with a capable actress like Kareena Kapoor?
What can I say about Kareena Kapoor? Let me tell you one thing, our mother (mother) remained sitting in the theater even after the climax of the film was completed. The last scene had such a deep impact on him, when on one side is sitting Kareena, who has lost her child and on the other side is Prabhleen, who has killed her child. My mother has seen a lot in the world, yet that scene and acting impressed her. Kareena’s performance was very power packed. She was very supportive as a co-star. She understood how could I get nervous? In my close-up scenes, she always sat in front, so that the sequence of action-reaction could continue. She is not only a beautiful actress, but as a producer she also gave importance to the story and every character.
You are a new actor, so was there any scene where you had to do a lot of retakes?
My first scene, in which I taunt my wife when she cries and say, ‘The tap has been opened’, was a very difficult scene. When the first take was done, Hansal sir (director Hansal Mehta) made such a bad face after seeing my performance that I was shocked. I thought what happened? Hansal Sir gave me this role with so much trust without taking any audition and what am I doing? And that too when Kareena is sitting in front. After that scene, I became numb for three minutes. I started wondering whether I am meant for this world or not? There were those three minutes between take one and take two, in which I balanced myself and moved forward with my character. But I still remember the first day of the set, the first take and the first look of Hansal sir. Had it not been for that look, I would not have been able to say what I am today in this world.
Now chefs have got a reputation, but when you thought of making a career in the field of food, what kind of struggles and challenges did you have to go through?
When you are from a small town, you are told to become a doctor, engineer or do UPSC. You neither think about pursuing a career outside the mainstream nor are you allowed to do so. Parents were not supportive at all. It’s like four of dad’s friends sit together and decide what the kids will do? It was difficult in the beginning. Self-doubt would come every morning, but even then I was adamant that I should not spend my life as a doctor-engineer. In the beginning I used to work for 20-20 hours daily. Then gradually India changed and the chef got respect. Master Chef gave people an idea that cooking can be on such a large scale.
What was the most difficult period for you? and when did you feel proud
When I was in the US and my restaurant was closed. The economy was down and I had no job. The poverty was so high that I could not ask for money from others, so I slept on the streets for 13-14 days. It was very cold in Boston, but we resorted to sleeping bags. Used to sleep well on park benches. Then he started staying at a friend’s house. Started working with him. It was a very interesting time. And the proudest moment was when my son Ishaan said, Papa- you cook good food. He said this at the age of three and a half years. Today he has turned ten years old.