Ranbir Kapoor announces Raj Kapoor Film Festival at IFFI 2024

Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor on Sunday said that though he doesn't believe in film remakes, if he had to choose to have a new take on one of filmmaker-grandfather Raj Kapoor's movies, it would be the 1955 black-and-white classic Shree 420.

At an in-conversation session with director Rahul Rawail at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor, the actor was asked to name the one film of his grandfather that he'd like to remake.

"I don't believe in remakes, I believe a film is made to the best of its capabilities, and you should not touch it, especially Raj Kapoor's films. But I would love to have a take on 'Shree 420', like I said it's my favourite film," said Ranbir, who belongs to the fourth generation of the Kapoor film family.

Another film that he'd like to try his hand at remaking would be "Sangam" (1964), he added.

Besides Shree 420, a Raj Kapoor film that left a deep impact on him as an artist is Jaagte Raho, the 1956 film that was directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra.

Ranbir, who did a filmmaking course from New York's School of Visual Arts, said he still harbours a "burning ambition" to venture into direction.

"My grandfather directed, acted, produced, wrote, and edited a film called 'Aag' at the age of 24. I'm 42 today, and I still don't have the courage to direct a film. I produced a movie called 'Jagga Jasoos', which didn't work at the box office."

"But I'm waiting for a story to come because a director should make a movie only if he has a story to tell, not just for the sake of making a movie." Acting is tough too, he said, but it's much easier than directing a movie.

"I realised that the opportunities for being an actor came easily. I come from a privileged setting, I had the opportunities, and I didn't want to take that for granted."

"I want to do my best... The more I worked with a lot of good directors in the film industry, the more I realised what a hard and selfless job direction is," added Ranbir.

When asked which film of his would he have wanted to be directed by Raj Kapoor, the actor said: "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" (2013).

Known as the Showman of Hindi Cinema, Raj Kapoor is also known for films such as Anari, Barsaat, Chori Chori, Boot Polish, Bobby, Mera Naam Joker, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and Ram Teri Ganga Maili, among others.

Ranbir revealed he drew inspiration from his grandfather for his role in the 2012 film Barfi!, directed by Anurag Basu.

"I don't know if it (Barfi!) would be his kind of cinema. He was a man of every kind of cinema, but I would definitely have liked to show him that film and have a discussion on that," he said.

The actor also spoke about taking the legacy of the 'first family of Hindi cinema' forward.

"If you really want to take any kind of legacy forward, you have to do it in a very individualistic approach... It's the way you say it, it's your perception of life. It's what you have absorbed as a person.

And then you want to just flow into that story. So, (you could be) heavily influenced, but you have to be individualistic to make a mark in any way," he said.

Ranbir said he is a bigger fan of Raj Kapoor "the director" than the actor.