Considering the infrequency with which it happens, when Aditya Chopra speaks, people listen. The director of one of Indian cinema's landmark hits, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge(1997), Chopra knows a thing or two about superstardom. So it is not easy to put aside his words comparing Ranveer Singh to Shah Rukh Khan.
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In a surprising move promoting his film, the usually reclusive director has put out statements that explain his purpose, aim, and experience in returning to the director's chair in Befikre. In the latest post, Chopra describes Singh as the first choice for the film before even Chopra decided to take up the project. He says, "Dharam is a man who will remain a boy all his life. For Dharam, college never ended, the party never stopped. He is so happy being himself and making everyone around him happy that it literally becomes his job for life. If this is the character then there cannot be any other actor but Ranveer Singh. Ranveer is Dharam, Dharam is Ranveer."
High praise indeed, from a director who speaks sparsely. Chopra alludes to his Shah Rukh fixation by saying, "I have directed 1 man all my life, Mr Shah Rukh Khan." Chopra further adds that Shah Rukh gives directors the bad habit that 'you actually can't think of making a film with anyone else ever.' In fact, it is this precise reason why Chopra decided to make Befikre without Khan in the lead. He says, "I was scared because I truly believe that in all the films we have done together Shah Rukh is the reason I came out looking good, so am I going to be exposed now?"
But Chopra need not have worried. As he says, he found an apt replacement in Singh. Incidentally, both Singh and Khan were rank outsiders to the industry. Both have changed the trend of leading men in films with their appearance. Their rise to the top has been similarly crafted around charming, radical, and risky roles. Chopra explains, "From the very first day I directed Ranveer, he was Shah Rukh fro me. The same energy, the same brilliance, the same intellect." He confesses that both Khan and Singh managed to 'cover his flaws' with their acting. The director also reserves his highest praise for the last saying, "I would not have made Befikre if an actor called Ranveer Singh did not exist."
Well, for a director who is known for his quiet nature and silence, this praise seems extraordinary. Hopefully, Singh brings him the same box-office returns a certain Khan did.