Having made his acting debut in the web anthology, Modern Love Mumbai, chef Ranveer Brar received great reviews for his portrayal of a gay character. And he is ready to face the camera once again in filmmakers Hansal Mehta and Ekta Kapoor’s upcoming murder mystery, co-starring Kareena Kapoor Khan.
“I’m glad to be getting to do different things. A project like this allows me to explore myself, and that reflects better in my food, too,” says Brar, adding “For this film, the greyness of the script attracted me. I think we are all very black and white in our projection and understanding in society. I always feel navigating the grey makes me a better person and professional, and that’s why what attracted me to the character.”
The 45-year-old considers himself fortunate to be getting a chance to be directed by Mehta once again after hid debut project. “Working with Hansal sir will always be a special experience for me. He gives a leeway to his actors to understand and express their respective characters.It’s been so enriching collaborating with him again,” says Brar, who admits being flattered seeing Khan on the set do her scenes with so much ease. “Kareena has this amazing switch button that turns on, the moment the director says action. I know a lot of hard work and preparation has gotten into it, but it’s still amazing to see that,” he gushes.
Juggling between his culinary passion and newfound acting pursuits, Brar draws parallels between the two fields. “It’s always cooking first, no doubts about it. I’ll always be a chef first,” he asserts and continues, “But, there are a lot of commonalities. I call acting a business of expression. And so is cooking. So, it’s just amazing how one sweeps into another and that’s what is happening for me. Also, my fuel while doing both observation. I observe a lot and I am a people-watcher. That helps me when I act. Even when you are cooking, you are always observant, aware, and mindful. And that hold true for acting as well.”
While Brar is committed to both being a chef and his acting projects, he acknowledges the challenges that come with the latter. “One major challenge is that when you are acting, you need to learn when to switch on and off. You can be a chef for life, but when you are acting, you need to understand the character and know when to switch between reel and real life. That’s something I’m still learning and facing difficulties while doing so,” he confesses.