Ranbir Kapoor Revived Saurabh Shukla's Interest In Acting: 'He Was Full Of Talks, Dreams'

Actor Saurabh Shukla had given up on acting till he met Ranbir Kapoor on the sets of Barfi. Saurabh recently told ANI that spending time with Ranbir and indulging in conversations with the younger actor reenergised him to think about his career and give acting another shot. He said, “I met Ranbir in Barfi. I was going through a low phase when Anurag Basu offered me the film.”

Saurabh recalled, “By then, I had become so frustrated. People used to say, ‘Saurabh, you’re such a good actor,’ but when roles came, they were always cameos. I mean, you’d have a day of shooting… and in that one day, what could you do? How much of a role would you have, and how much of your acting could you show?”

Saurabh continued, “I was really struggling. So, I started

telling people that ‘I don’t act; I’m not an actor. I’m a writer, and I’ve made films.’ When Anurag offered me this film, my first words were, ‘Anurag, call me only if you have something for me that’s worth doing. Otherwise, don’t call me at all.’ I’m so lucky that he didn’t take it the wrong way. He said, ‘Sir, if I didn’t have something for you, why would I call you?’ He gave me that film, which was wonderful.”

Reflecting on his time with Ranbir, Saurabh said, “He was so charming, young, full of talks and dreams and everything. I really enjoyed just sitting with him… He was not just educated. So, you can discuss anything with him. Also, there’s a sense of innocence in the youth. As we grow older, we gain a bit of head weight.”

“But he was very young. I really enjoyed sitting with him and talking. There was mutual respect. While acting, he would do something, and I would get something from that. So my interest came back in acting, and I restarted thinking about it like, ‘yes, acting is a great joy,’ and since then I have been acting,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Ranbir Kapoor is currently occupied with Ramayana and Love and War. Ranbir Kapoor stars as Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part Ramayana. He will be seen opposite Sai Pallavi as Sita. In Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love and War, Ranbir will reunite with Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal for a love triangle.