Over The Top And Under Control

In an unusually introspective chat, the otherwise effusive Ranveer Singh, 36, talks about the insecurities and indulgences of being a megastar, how he strives for balance and succeeds An HT Brunch Exclusive Interview

- Jamal Shaikh

Are superstars insecure? Is vulnerability directly proportional to the fame you achieve? Does effusiveness arise from the need to be loved? And, in the face of unimaginable success, can anyone truly keep their head on their shoulders?

These questions run through my mind as I prepare to interview the Bollywood outsider (sorry, nepotism blamers!) who is arguably Bollywood's most successful leading man today.

“Yes, I've let myself get carried away. My first sleeper hit (Band Baaja Baarat, 2010) made me over-confident. A career-threatening injury during my third film (Lootera, 2013, see box on page 12] brought me crashing down," Ranveer Singh, 36 years old and very much a millennial superstar, tells me in an introspective chat.

"But no, I'm not insecure. I've always held my artistic integrity very closely to me; filmmaking is a collaborative process, and I'm just a tool." There's a pause.

“But," Ranveer continues, unusually measured with his words, but honest as always. “It's becoming increasingly difficult to not lose perspective [and keep one's head on one's shoulders). It has been over a month since 83 released, and I see the way people are reacting to me as an actor; if I read enough of it (the praise], I will start believing it. I must be careful and not lose my head. I am just a tool in the creative process of a director. It's not all about me. I know my place; I know that I am a microscopic dot in the context of the entire universe. It's dangerous to have an inflated sense of self. So when I see this avalanche of praise coming my way for 83, I'm taking it all in, but I'm also channelling, putting it all into my jar of gratitude and compartmentalising."