Aditya Chopra felt he couldn't sell my face on a film's poster, says Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh  has achieved a star status, especially after his portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018). However, there was a time when the actor was not confident about his looks. This was before his debut film Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) released. In fact, the producer of the film, Aditya Chopra, was hesitant of having Singh's face on the film's posters too.

“Band Baaja (Baaraat) did what it did. It came out of the blue. No one expected anything of it or from me, looking at this face on the poster. My producer and mentor Aditya Chopra was like, ‘Look at your face. I can’t sell this face on a poster. So, my son, you will have to act really well if you want people to like you.’ He said, you are not conventionally good looking, which is a polite way of saying you are damn fugly! And Adi [Aditya Chopra] doesn’t mince his words,” Singh said.

The actor was a guest at the News 18 Rising India Summit and was being interviewed by film critic Rajeev Masand.

Singh also spoke about an incident where he over heard someone criticize his looks. “I was at this multiplex in Juhu. I was loitering. There were people who were loitering around with me and they were checking out various standees. They came to the standee of Band Bajaa Baaraat. I was trying to eavesdrop. They were like (with a sick expression), ‘Who is this guy? This is Yash Raj’s new boy? Eww.’ So, that was really disheartening. My movie was going to come out. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t get a good start in Band Bajaa Baaraat. I don’t know where I would be,” said the actor.

Not many know that Singh was accused by aspiring actors of bagging roles by paying off people. “The killer blow was that when I was on Facebook, I would get messages from aspiring young actors saying, ‘Hey, I got more than Rs10 lakhs. Where do I have to give it?’ That was really heartbreaking. What message are you sending out to other aspiring actors?” Singh asked.

The actor then recalled an incident to show how his looks are not a problem anymore and how people now want to take videos and pictures of him.

“I was in the changing room; buck naked. I was drying my hair. And there is a guy filming with his light on! I was like, ‘Light toh off kar leta. Pakda nahin jayega toh kya karega. [You should have switched the flash light off]’ I ran across and (shouted) hey! And because I shouted, he panicked. I caught his arm and I grabbed the phone. I had to destroy it [video]. When I saw the video, I was like, ‘What would have happened if it had spread. I would have been the national scandal!”

Watch the full interview: