Is Ranbir Kapoor flying to Hollywood soon? Here's the truth
What's the story
Actor Ranbir Kapoor made an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah on Wednesday, where he met scores of fans from across the globe.
Kapoor, who returned to the silver screen with Shamshera after a four-year-long break, spilled some beans on his Hollywood aspirations, plans to direct films, his flop films, and the current box office climate, etc.
Here's what he said.
Context
Why does this story matter?
It's not uncommon for Bollywood actors to be asked about their plans to feature in Hollywood films, especially since some Indian actors have made a prominent mark overseas.
These include Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Irrfan Khan, among others.
Alia Bhatt, too, will be making her Hollywood debut next year with Netflix's action film Heart of Stone, co-starring Gal Gadot.
On Hollywood
'Never say never, but I'd rather act in my language'
When asked if he would venture into Hollywood, Kapoor told Deadline, "I'd never say never, but I'm pretty content with the kind of opportunities that are coming my way in my country in my language."
"I do have a certain block in my head about acting in English. I'd rather act in my language because it comes naturally to me. But never say never."
Direction plans
Directing a film is Kapoor's '10-year plan'
Kapoor also elaborated on his plans of direction.
The actor-producer said, "I've always wanted to direct and make a movie. But I've really not mastered the courage to write a story...and I'm shy when it comes to sharing my ideas with other people. But I'm working on it, and it's in my 10-year plan—to start directing movies and hopefully act in them too."
On 'Shamshera'
'Shamshera' was the hardest film I've worked on'
While Karan Malhotra's Shamshera may have drowned within days, Kapoor's performance earned him immense acclaim, even from his harshest critics.
Talking about it, he said, "[It was] by far the hardest film I've worked on. It was a big box office disaster, but the biggest mistake I made on Shamshera was that I stuck on a [prosthetic] beard."
The film also starred Sanjay Dutt.
On 'Jagga Jasoos'
'Jagga Jasoos' failure really hurt me'
Calling adventure musical Jagga Jasoos "a passion project," Kapoor said its failure "really hurt."
"That's the only film in my career that hurt me," said Kapoor about the Anurag Basu directorial.
The Brahmastra actor also expressed hope that India's box office climate will improve in the coming days.
"I hope with strong storytelling, and renewed vigor, Indian cinema comes back," said Kapoor.