Like all good actors, Ranvir Shorey is the consummate chameleon sinking into his characters without a trace. The former VJ has captivated in diverse roles — from cricket-obsessed Asif in Bheja Fry and RAW agent alongside Salman Khan in Ek Tha Tiger to the vicious Vikram in Titli and many others in between. In town for a performance as Macbeth in the play What is Done is Done , the 43-year-old talks about inspirations, acting, relationships and fatherhood. Excerpts.
There are murmurs that you are volatile. Are you?
Where did you hear these murmurs? I will settle for a plea of hyper, or mercurial but definitely not volatile! That is a dangerous word!
Are you a disciplined person?
On the surface I might look casual or laidback, but there is focus.
Are you a social person or a loner?
Both — sometimes when I am in a crowd I’d like to be alone and vice-versa.
How was it working with Konkona as director?
Fabulous.
Was there discomfort or is it possible to have an easy relationship with an ex-spouse?
There was no awkwardness.
What does love mean to you?
Caring.
Romance?
Giving it your all
Marriage?
(The questions are getting tougher!) Marriage means keeping a promise and compromise
Do you enjoy reading?
I did, but reading took a hit thanks to the internet. I am getting back to it. I like page turners.
What are you reading now?
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
What are you working on now?
I have just finished Neel Madhab Panda’s film. For now it is titled Shadows of the Wind . We shot in Dholpur, Rajasthan, possibly the hottest place in the country, if not the planet, in the peak of summer. As the backdrop is climate change, we had to shoot in extreme conditions. The script was well worth it. Not just because of the wonderful characters and the story but also because of the deeper resonance of theme. That is the last thing I worked on. Now I am taking a break till August for Macbeth . After that, I will start on film again. I have a couple of things lined up. It has been a good work year, touch wood. I’ve gone from one film to another. The year before wasn’t that great. The only film I did was Moh Maya Money .
How do you spend your time when you have been without work?
When you have a child, there is enough to do.
There are actors who enjoy the unsettledness of not having work…
It is not a feeling I can celebrate. I’d rather have a corpus fund!
Are you satisfied with your career?
No, no, no, no… I don’t think so. I think I’ve done well. I think there is a lot to do yet.
Do you feel that your career didn’t really take off in a big wayconsidering the fact that you are such a good actor with consistently positive reviews?
I think it took off but hasn’t really gone anywhere yet. (laughs) I think it ends with good reviews.
What could have been the reasons you think?
I don’t know. Anything I say would be speculation. There could be many reasons. That is not something I linger over. If people have decided I am a good actor but not worth the work, there is nothing I can do about it. I do my best of the work that is offered to me. I try to work with good scripts. But sometimes when you haven’t got work for a year, you grab on to scripts that are not that great.
I think I am somewhere in the middle and that is not a bad place. Every time I look at people who are doing better than me, whether as able or not as able as me, I always think of the many people who are better than me who haven’t even got the opportunities that I have got. There are a lot of people waiting to get into this business. Just in Mumbai, everyday thousands of people come to be actors. So whenever I feel it is a long way up, I look down and figure there is a long way down as well.
Do you have a plan in order to be more successful?
No, it is not like I planned to be an actor in the first place. I used to work behind the camera. I worked in TV behind the camera for a good five to seven years of my career. Acting happened to me by chance. I didn’t start off wanting to be a hero. I stumbled upon acting. I have started enjoying it, exploring it to the best of my ability, as honestly as I can. I have tried to be true to being an actor. Most of what is seen as success is the hero-kind of success.
Between Happy Ending and Titli, which would you choose?
Titli of course! Come on!
Happy Ending didn’t work. Why?
You and I can do a post-mortem from now to eternity. The fact is one is never sure what is going to work. I can go out on a limb and say that changes made to the screenplay under production do not end well.
Titlimust have been emotionally exhausting…
I am exhausted at the end of every project. I give it my all. Titli was especially draining as the theme — the tyranny of patriarchy, the material and characters were close to home. That is not to say that I know carjackers!
What is acting to you?
I’d like to quote Sanford Meisner in answer to that —“Acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah) has described acting as “to do.” What most people forget is the technical aspect to acting. I would describe acting as completing an action.
How do you hone your craft?
Theatre is the best way because it is about the moment. When you are devising a piece, say Macbeth for instance, you scrape through the layers, deconstruct it and reconstruct it…
Do you prefer comic or dark roles?
They are not mutually exclusive. Having said that, darkness attracts.
Would you like to direct?
Like I said before, I didn’t start off as an actor. Somewhere in the bottom of my heart I would like to direct. I am also happy helping other directors realise their vision. I am happy being a cog in a wheel. I feel one shouldn’t turn director unless one is compelled to tell a story. And I am so distracted!
Are you often frustrated with the roles you are offered?
The volume is frustrating. In my dream life I will be offered 10 equally fantastic roles and as I loll about and am being fed grapes, I will have the luxury of cherry-picking them.
What are your inspirations?
My father was a film producer; he got involved in the film politics. I wanted to make a mark as the mud slinging in full-page ads in trade papers hurt —talk about dark inspirations!
My favourite things
Colour: Black —nothing beats the majesty of black
City: New York, of the cities I have visited
Film: This is cruel — one film out of so many! Under duress, François Truffaut’s Day for Night
Author: Paul Auster
Food: Andhra meals (pronounced mils)
Beverage: Beer
Poet: Has to be Neruda
Playwright: William Shakespeare
