Ranveer Singh talks about Sanjay Leela Bhansali at the Expo 2020 Dubai

Working with the filmmaker challenging and testing, says the Bajirao Mastani actor.

Ranveer Singh has been a part of discussions on an array of subjects along with India’s Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, at the Expo 2020 Dubai. One of those topics was celebrated Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, with whom Ranveer has done a couple of films. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has shaped him more than any other filmmaker he has worked with, said Ranveer. He added that Bhansali pushes his actors beyond boundaries and limits, making it ‘challenging and ‘testing’ to work under his direction.

Working with Bhansali was particularly challenging, said Ranveer, and called films such as Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, and Ram-Leela “the pillars that constitute his career”. Bhansali has “honed” him as an artiste, made him come face to face with what he as an actor was capable of, said Ranveer. 

When Anurag Thakur asked Ranveer where he gets his boundless energy from, Ranveer laughed and said, “I’ve always wanted to be a ‘hero’ in Bollywood films. Now, every day of my life is like a dream. It’s so surreal. I am on this stage at this moment representing my country as the face of Indian entertainment, it is an honour for me.” He added that he did nothing by half measures, and that he is “always all in” with whatever he does.

During the discussions at the expo, Ranveer also mentioned that he was astonished that has reached distant places such as Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Sudan, to name a few. “It is not just the Indian diaspora who loves and watches our films, but so many people from across the world. It has themes that people can relate to,” said Ranveer, whose sports drama 83 recently popped up on Netflix after completing its theatrical run.