‘Rocket Singh is not your quintessential hero...’

The actor talks to City Times about Rocket Singh, and his newfound aversion to discussing his private life

A CHARMING SMILE for every camera aimed in his direction and time set aside to sign as many autographs as he possibly can – those are the golden rules that Indian actor Ranbir Kapoor abides by when dealing with his fans.

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Why? Well, simply because he's got the smarts to oblige those interested in him; “I realise and respect the fact that everything I have today is because of these people who want my autograph and want to click my picture.

“So, it's my duty to pose for them - and I really don't want to lose whatever little fan base I have,” comments the actor with a touch of modesty (nearly the entire Indian female population is smitten by his looks and wiles and he labels his fan base as “little”).

In town to attend a press conference and the red carpet gala screening for his latest film - director Shimit Amin's Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year - at the ongoing Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Kapoor's appearance is, as always, rather dashing.

The attire is a suit courtesy his close designer buddy Avinash Punjabi and the fit build is courtesy his personal trainer who sits a few feet away from us.

“He goes everywhere with me,” claims the actor, waving at the man in question who enforced a timely lunch on Kapoor prior to our interview. “He monitors my diet carefully. At home my mother doesn't let me eat anything wrong because she's too health conscious and I go to the gym regularly. I'm part of a visual medium so staying in shape is an occupational hazard.”

The staunch Barcelona supporter is also quick point to out that he plays football in his spare time – an activity that, he quips, probably doesn't hurt the cause.

The fourth-generation Kapoor then moves on to the subject of Rocket Singh; he plays the title role of 21-year-old ambitious go-getter Harpreet Singh Bedi who wants to succeed in the world on his own terms.

Considering that the actor's previous releases this year – Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani – have been declared hits by the powers that be, this one comes stitched on with the expectations of possibly making a hat-trick.

“I really connected with Rocket Singh, so I'm hoping the audience will too. But I believe that every film comes with it's own destiny. Jaideep (Sahani) has written an amazing character and Shimit literally created his world around me so my job became really easy,” notes the actor.

“He's not your quintessential hero and we've tried something new with him.”

Recently the marketing technique employed to promote the film has been put under scrutiny. The story has been kept tightly under wraps; there have been no promotional events or tours; and no song promos besides the catchy Pocket Mein Rocket Hai has been released.

“The way that they've marketed Rocket Singh is the correct way to market not only this film but each and every one. Normally there's a 20-day marketing strategy where actors make promotional appearances on TV shows and before the media. The idea of a promo or a teaser is to excite the audience and let them discover the film, not give out the entire plot.”

So far Rocket Singh has played host to some pretty good reviews over its opening weekend – Indian newspapers have even labelled it as a simple film that will become a 'soaring success' in no time.

Next in Kapoor's releases is filmmaker Prakash Jha's political thriller Rajneeti which also features actors Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif and Naseeruddin Shah. Then there's also Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Anjaana Anjaanee with Priyanka Chopra.

The only dark spot marring the actor's otherwise successful year seems to be his recent split with actress Deepika Padukone.

So how's the 26-year-old stars handling all the media attention? Well, he's decided to head the Shahid Kapoor way (who adopted a 'no comments' policy post his break-up with Kareena Kapoor).

“It became a bit of a spectacle,” remarks the actor on the controversies that riddled his almost-two-year relationship. “No one's really interested; they're only listening because you're telling them. I would now like to keep my personal life as private as I possibly can – but I'm not a liar. I would rather not hide being in a relationship.”

Kapoor has recently also been linked to co-stars Katrina Kaif and even his Rocket Singh co-star Shazahn Padamsee.

“Sometimes you're linked to somebody you're just friends with and then the equation changes with them. It's bothersome.”

You won't find Ranbir Kapoor on Facebook or Twitter…

“I've heard a lot about social networking sites and what a powerful medium they are but I haven't gotten down to joining any of them yet because I hear they're very addictive. I try to stay clear because I don't want to constantly be logging on.

“But I'm curious about it. Currently I don't have any facebook or twitter accounts – the ones in my name are not me. I also don't believe in blogs – I'm an actor and anything I have to say, I say through my movies. Besides I don't have anything intelligent to say.”

davina@khaleejtimes.com