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

Hours after his double role in Shamshera was revealed, Ranbir Kapoor has said that he was initially offered only one but he found the idea fascinating, and therefore convinced the film's director and producer.

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. ()

Ranbir Kapoor in Shamshera.

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.”

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.