"As an actress, people didn’t think she was good."
November 9, 2022, marks 15 years of popular Bollywood actors Ranbir Kapoor, and Deepika Padukone making their debut in the film industry.
They started their journey as actors in 2007.
While Ranbir made his debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Saawariya, Deepika made her debut in Farah Khan’s film Om Shanti Om.
Though Saawariya did not perform well at the box office, Ranbir did not let this setback last and is now amongst the most popular actors in the industry.
Deepika Padukone’s debut film starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role alongside her and it was a hit at the box office back then.
On the occasion, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, their long-standing successful collaborator, wrote about their journey and what has made them the actors and stars that they are today.
He wrote: “Fifteen years after Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone made their debut, both have evolved as artists. Ranbir was always supposed to be a good actor.
“The industry people expected him to be good and he consistently lived up to his promise.
“Deepika was the reverse. As an actress, people didn’t think she was good.
“I remember very well that my choice of her, even as late as Love Aaj Kal, was doubted…”
Sharing when he saw Ranbir for the first time, the filmmaker said:
“I saw Ranbir when he was a kid and I was a young man.
“I was at a restaurant in South Mumbai, where he came with his parents, he had floppily straight hair and was looking very nervous and embarrassed.
“He later fell down from his chair in the restaurant, further embarrassing himself. He was looking like a typical star kid, wearing formal clothes.”
Further, talking about films and inspiration, Ali added:
“There were many scenes in Tamasha where I got pushed to a level of articulation of a feeling beyond what I might have done in their absence.
“The song ‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ and the scene preceding that, people love that.
“I was loving it when I was filming it. I was zoned out, and so was the entire crew.”
He pointed out: “The scene gets into a certain vulnerability that I can’t explain to people if they can’t really know it, empathise with it.”
In 15 years of being in the industry, both actors have their share of successful films.
Ranbir’s popular films include Rockstar, Barfi, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Tamasha, among others.
Meanwhile, Deepika’s films include Chennai Express, Piku, and Bajirao Mastani, among others.
Though Ranbir and Deepika did not make their Bollywood debut together in one film, they teamed up for several films and went on to become an iconic on-screen duo.
They first starred together in Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008.
The duo made this movie the eighth highest-grossing Bollywood film that year and impressed the audience with their crackling onscreen chemistry.
Their 2013 film Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Tamasha, which was released in 2015, are fan favourites.
At present, fans are waiting to watch them share screen space in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra 2.
The actress will be seen as Ranbir Kapoor’s mother.
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