Watch: Why Ranbir Kapoor doesn't have 'yes' people around him

Ranbir Kapoor is quite the slick talker. Words pour out of him in a steady stream, often without pause, as if what he wants to communicate needs to be done in an uninterrupted manner.

Chalk it up to his privileged upbringing as a Kapoor scion which probably explains his been there, done that approach to fame coupled with a natural affinity for theatrics — cue Wake Up Sid and Barfi! There is a no-nonsense vibe about him that even when he is charming audiences or the media as the case maybe, there is also a certain aloofness that one can never quite penetrate however affable he comes across as.

I remember encountering this during his Rajneeti days, when he solemnly chastised co-star Katrina Kaif for being distracted during our interview and took control of the proceedings. In the post Brahmastra phase there was that detachment at play once again. It almost felt like he had cut himself off from the demands of the role and was impatient to embrace the next big thing.

Lack of intensity is, however, not something this actor can ever be accused of. So even as he sinks his teeth into his umpteenth rom com with Luv Ranjan’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, a genre that he has excelled in (Bachna Ae Haseeno, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani), there is also the undeniable assurance that in his hands it is not going to be yet another wayward lover boy act.

KT CHAT WITH RANBIR

The Bollywood star admits in a candid chat with us ahead of the release of Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar on March 8, that he was in talks with Luv Ranjan (Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety) to feature in a gangster drama with Ajay Devgn but due to date issues the project didn’t work out.

“And in that period he narrated the subject to me and I was always looking for the right story, the right character, the right music — because music plays such a big part in romantic comedies. But in the last couple of years, I never found one. So I'm really happy that I'm a part of this film that I love.”

Excerpts from our conversation with the unflappable Kapoor.

How does it feel to go back to your heydays as a romantic hero with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar?

Heydays?? Wow! I’m really growing old, eh?? The rom com genre is something which I truly enjoyed in my early years. But having the understanding of that genre is not easy. I've had some good ones and I've had some pretty bad ones also.

So after 15 years of working at the movies and trying my hand at different genres, I was really looking for a good rom com. It's a film that I enjoyed working in. It's a character that I have never played before, though it's a romantic comedy and it's a character that I also aspire to be in my life. It's somebody who I have taken home with me, and I'm really excited for the audiences to experience that because it is a new character.

You have done so many intense roles be it Shamshera, Raajneeti, or Rockstar. But somehow it's been very hard for you to break away from your Casanova image. Have you made peace with that, or do you still try to break the mould with every role that you take on?

I don't think I had a choice, and I would like to share the blame with the media also. When I did my second film, Bachna Ae Haseeno, I was tagged like what people saw on screen, (they felt) I’d probably be the same offscreen. So I think it's very important to separate the art from the artist.

And because I've played those roles, people try and put me together and say, he must be like this. But it's okay. It’s something which really didn't bother me for a long time. I kind of got over it. But that's really not scaring me from doing this genre again, or trying to play a Casanova on screen, though I don't play a Casanova in this film. I actually play an aashiq (lover) in this one.

Where do you see the place of rom coms like Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar at a time when OTT is giving us some really gritty and realistic movies and series. Do you believe there is still a place for these lighter movies for the audience?

I hope so. I'm an audience member myself. I'm a huge fan of the movies. I'm a huge fan of all the content that comes on OTT also. Today the audiences have become less forgiving. You need something extra to pull them to the theatre to experience your film. So it has become much harder. But I think we all, as an industry, are just trying to do that — to give new forms of entertainment, but at the same time do something which has not been done before.

People keep saying that I've done the rom com genre so much, but I found this film very new. I found it very entertaining and cinema friendly. But I can sit here and tell you that I've done this, I've done that, and this movie is great. But everyday it really is a challenge for filmmakers and actors to choose subjects which will appeal to large numbers of the audience.

Your co-star Shraddha (Kapoor) says you come so prepared on the set but make it look so effortless on screen. Is the prep for an intense movie like Shamshera, say, the same as for this one?