Abhinav Kashyap talks about the contrasting personalities of Salman and Ranbir and his rumoured relationship with Pallavi
What is Ranbir Kapoor doing in a film like Besharam? Apart from Rishi and Neetuji coming together, Ranbir is the biggest selling point of my film. There’s no substitute to him. It wasn’t too big a task to convince Ranbir. I sent him a message, and he showed interest in meeting me. This was in September 2011, when he was shooting Barfi! When we met, he didn’t ask for a narration, but kept the script. He read it overnight and the next day sent me a confirmation saying he wants to do the film. There was no persuasion required.
Opposite RK, you could have cast any top actress. Why a newcomer, Pallavi Sharda?
I didn’t explore that option so I don’t know if they would have said a yes or no. I wanted someone who would have exclusive time for the film, as the shooting of Besharam was slated between Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Bombay Velvet. At that point of time, none of the lead actresses had that kind of time. Which is why, we decided to go ahead with a fresh face.
Rumour has it that your proximity with Pallavi got her the role. Somehow, they didn’t question me about Sonakshi. Why are they linking me with Pallavi? Were they scared that Shatrughanji would come after them? These rumours happen for a reason; they are created for a reason. And in totality it benefits the film. However, Pallavi and I have become close friends.
Compare Salman and Ranbir…
They are two different people. Salman never rehearses and often forgets his lines. He is very spontaneous, though. A lot of times, even the director is in the dark – we don’t know what he’d say in a particular scene until he goes ahead and says it. But that works for him. On the other hand, Ranbir is the most hardworking actor I have seen. He rehearses meticulously, sometimes days in advance.
How did you manage to convince the senior Kapoors to be a part of the film?
They had one demand—they wanted to read the scripts individually, and even if one had a problem, then it wouldn’t work out. They told me they had received innumerable offers, and would do Besharam only if they were entirely convinced. Thankfully, it worked in my favour.
Were you worried that the fallout with Arbaaz Khan during Dabangg could adversely affect your career?
I have never been worried about myself, as I am confident about my capabilities. To be fair to Arbaaz, he didn’t do a bad job at all with Dabangg 2. He got the rewards for it, while he also faced the brunt, as comparisons were inevitable.
You have said that you are open to working with Salman. Do you think he’d want to work with you again?
I don’t sweat over thinking if Salman will work with me or not. If I have something worth his time, I’d go ahead and approach him.
