Actor and writer Saurabh Shukla recently opened up about a low phase in his career when he had almost lost interest in acting — until his experience working with Ranbir Kapoor on Barfi helped him rediscover the joy of his craft.
Saurabh Shukla credits Ranbir Kapoor for reigniting his passion for acting during Barfi shoot: “He was so charming, young, full of talk and dreams”
In an interview with ANI, the Jolly LLB actor recalled how he went through a period where he was only offered brief cameo roles, which left him creatively unfulfilled. “There was a phase when I only received small cameos in movies, which left me frustrated. People used to say, ‘Saurabh, you’re such a good actor,’ but when roles came, they were always cameos. I mean, you’d have a day of shooting… and in that one day, what could you do? How much of a role would you have, and how much of your acting could you show?” Shukla shared.
He further revealed that his frustration had grown to the point where he began distancing himself from acting altogether. “I was really struggling. So, I started telling people that I don’t act; I’m not an actor. I’m a writer, and I’ve made films. I started saying that. I was going through a low phase at that time,” he said.
It was filmmaker Anurag Basu who brought him back to the big screen with Barfi (2012), a romantic comedy-drama starring Ranbir Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, and Priyanka Chopra. “When Anurag offered me this film, my first words were, ‘Anurag, if you have something for me, call me. Otherwise, don’t call me at all.’ And I’m so lucky that he didn’t take it the wrong way. He said, ‘Sir, if I didn’t have something for you, why would I call you?’ He gave me that film, which was wonderful,” Shukla recalled.
Reflecting on his time shooting the film, Shukla credited Ranbir Kapoor for reigniting his passion for acting. Describing Ranbir as “charming” and “full of dreams,” he said, “That’s where I met Ranbir. He was so charming, young, full of talk and dreams and everything, and I really enjoyed sitting with him… there’s an innocence in youth. There was mutual respect. While acting, he would do something, and I would get something from that. So my interest came back in acting, and I restarted thinking about it — like yes, acting is a great joy — and since then I have been acting.”
Directed by Anurag Basu, Barfi remains one of the most acclaimed films of 2012, praised for its performances, storytelling, and emotional depth.
On the professional front, Saurabh Shukla was recently seen reprising his role in Jolly LLB 3, alongside Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi.
More Pages: Barfi! Box Office Collection , Barfi! Movie Review
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