Ranbir Kapoor was only offered the son’s part in Shamshera: ‘I really had to convince Aditya Chopra and Karan Malhotra’

Ranbir Kapoor essays the double role of father and son in his upcoming film, Shamshera, and he has now revealed that director Karan Malhotra and producer Aditya Chopra initially approached him for the role of the son alone. Shamshera marks the return of Ranbir Kapoor to films after four years, since he was last seen in Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju. Sanjay Dutt plays the antagonist in the film that also features Vaani Kapoor in an important role. (Also read: My car got hit, glass broke: Here’s why Ranbir Kapoor reached late for Shamshera launch event)

The son in the film is called Balli while Shamshera is the father. Ranbir said in a press statement that he wasn’t initially offered a double role for the film. “When the film was narrated to me, it wasn’t really offered to me as a double role. But when I heard the story, my immediate response to Aditya Chopra and Karan Malhotra was that ‘let me play the father also, because it is such a great role. It is such an interesting, juicy part for an actor to play’. Then, I really had to convince Adi and Karan. I think after that Karan did a couple of look tests and that’s when he got convinced also. So, initially it wasn’t offered to me but it hooked me thoroughly as an actor. They were two unique characters and for an actor like me, to play two distinctive characters and make them different was very challenging and very exciting for me.”

Shamshera is the story of a man, who is made a slave and later turns into a leader for the safety of his tribe. Shamshera is told with the backdrop of the heartland of India in the 1800s. It is set for a theatrical release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on July 22. The first trailer for the film landed online on June 24, Friday, and garnered mixed reactions. Sanjay Dutt and Karan Malhotra earlier worked in Agneepath and he played the role of the main antagonist in the 2012 film as well. A remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s film by the same name, Agneepath starred Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan.

After Shamshera, Ranbir will be seen in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra Part One which also marks his first film with wife Alia Bhatt. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna.