Jim Sarbh on ‘Padmaavat’: Ranveer Singh’s performance would have been groovy with or without me

Jim Sarbh who was brilliant in ‘Padmaavat’ alongside Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor expressed that he was excited to be the part of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film. The actor also recalls his first meeting with Ranveer Singh, who had recommended him for the role. He also appreciates Ranveer Singh’s performance in the film. He also spoke about how he manages to balance both theatre and films.


Talking about his role in ‘Padmaavat’ he said, “I was excited to be a part of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. I was excited to act with Ranveer, who I heard was a great co-actor. Ranveer also mentioned, at our first meeting, that he suggested me for the role, which gave me the confidence as we mutually admired each other. I enjoyed the audition scene, Sanjay sir spoke with a lot of love for the character, as did the entire team working on the project. When I read the script, I could see why.”


Further talking about the role he said, “I thought of him as a lithe, fierce black panther, who slinks around with his big, grizzled tiger, master Alauddin Khilji. He is a slave, who has hit the jackpot. He doesn’t take people very seriously. He finds them amusing and their very obvious, silly motivations. He’s like the fool, cavorting around with kings and queens, irreverent and if so commanded, deadly.”


Ranveer Singh said that you enhanced his performance in Padmaavat. What do you have to say to that?
Talking about Ranveer Singh’s performance he said, “His performance would have been groovy with or without me. However, sometimes, I feel the only times we can truly see Alauddin Khilji, the man, is through Malik Kafur’s eyes. Ranveer is a wonderful co-actor, the kind of actor where we are always hoping to strike magic. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn’t, but the attempt was always there.”


“He is always bringing new ideas and fresh energy to the set, and he was always kind and supportive of me. I would be messing up takes, over and over again, somehow not cracking the moment, and he would not bat an eyelid. If he was frustrated, he didn’t let me feel it, he shielded me from it, and instead was supportive and showed he believed in me. What more can you ask for? I felt my character could easily understand his principles because I was a version of him, just born in very different circumstances.”




Talking about his roles he further added, “Each had their own challenges, really. Neerja was hard because it was so intense, for such a short burst; like a serious sprint. Raabta was more like a triathlon, a little running, a little cycling, a little swimming. 'Padmaavat' was like a serious marathon.”


When asked about what kind of roles he would prefer to do, Jim said, “Interesting, complex ones. What kind would you like to see me in?”


Talking about balancing films and theatre he said, “Well, since the film work has picked up, I haven’t done any new theatre, just continued to act in the shows that were already up and running. I enjoy the power of a live performance, but I prefer the medium of film, on the whole. I am only just starting to learn the technical aspects of film acting — I think 'Padmaavat' has been essential in that regard — and I hope to continue to explore playing around with my slowly growing knowledge of the power of the frame.”


“That said, I hope to do a play later this year, around May, with one of my favourite directors of all time, Rehaan Engineer. The text he has chosen, as usual, is gorgeous: the kind that makes you sit up as you read because you can’t help imagining playing it out, because you are grappling with a mysterious sentence, the intention of which is still hidden from you on the first read. Fingers crossed.”


Talking about his upcoming projects he said, “The Sanjay Dutt biopic releases in June, in which I have quite a bombastic part, so I am very interested in seeing how that plays out. I have also acted in a film called 'Teen Aur Aadha', directed by Dar Gai, with Zoya Hussain. I am hoping that receives a theatrical release, because it is a very sensitive and beautiful script. Three stories occurring in the same house, the same room, are told with three long takes, each about 30-40 minutes long.”