Showbiz can’t thrive without putting you in a box: Ranvir
In his pursuit to be called a versatile actor, Ranvir Shorey has worked really hard to make his mark in the film industry. From being a TV producer, VJ, and a comedian, to doing diverse roles as an actor, and now a songwriter, Ranvir has worked his way up in the industry and is content with the way his career has shaped up.
“It feels good to be tagged as a talented, versatile actor. I might not have had great success and become the most sought after actor in the business, but I have had a more consistent graph [than many others]. I’ve had more average and above-average graph for the last 10 to 15 years and I think that is a nice place to be in,” he says.
However, like most actors, Ranvir, too, couldn’t escape being stereotyped. “When I was a TV producer, I ventured out as a VJ. It was so difficult for me to earn the VJ tag. People wouldn’t call me a VJ, no matter what. And when I became a VJ and tried to break into acting, people wouldn’t call me an actor. They would insist on calling me a comic actor, especially after Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006) and Bheja Fry (2007). And now, as a songwriter, I’ll have to again face resistance,” says Ranvir, who was seen in this year’s Sonchiriya and web series
Sacred Games 2.
If there’s one thing that has remained constant in the actor’s journey, it is the struggle to prove his acting prowess. “The entertainment business can’t thrive without putting you in a box. Actors who are super successful are the ones who thrive on the image by creating their forte,” he says. “But that’s not why I had started working in this industry. I like to keep breaking the image by doing diverse roles. To be able to prove my credentials of a dramatic actor, I took up roles which were different and challenging. I’ve never repeated a role, even if it did well for me,” the 47-year-old adds.
Ranvir gives credit to the digital space for his recent success. “The digital space has changed a lot of things for me. I have done quite a lot of work in the last two years in the web space. Because it is a new avenue and platform, I feel that things are more open and even right now,” he concludes.