Ranvir: Adding sparkle to acting

Ranvir's natural acting will help him don many characters with ease.

We have seen him on the telly - mouthing inanities at his co-hosts, digging deep into the abysmal depths of creative degradation with funny one liners, jokes that sound straight out of a by-lane from some Indian town. But that was his job as a presenter. Or we have seen him appear in many commercials playing various characters aplomb. At best he could be described as an ordinary face whose malleability would help him don many characters with ease.

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Who would have thought that he could act in a two hour film too with as much honesty as one would expect from a professional actor. It comes as a pleasant surprise to see a successful VJ turned actor hog limelight in his first film Mixed Doubles. And the reason is good enough. Ranvir Shorey, who appeared in bit roles early on in Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya, Ek Chhoti Si Love Story, Jism and Freaky Chakra, does get to prove a point. And gets noticed as an actor.

Barring Jism, in which he had a brief role, none of his earlier films did well at the box office and he went back to V-jaying.

In his first major role as Sunil, a middle class executive in Mumbai,in the Rajat Kapoor directed Mixed Doubles, Shorey proves that given a good script and an able director, he could deliver.

The first noticeable quality about him is his unconventional looks – he is neither the macho bicep flexing sinewy hero (a la Suneil Shetty) nor the chocolate boy (say a Shahid Kapur) whose marketability depends on how good he is able to sing songs and exploit his dance techniques in the name of acting.

He also looks different. Just how different you may ask? In an age of parlors for men and fairness cream that adds another shade of roughness to men’s skin, Shorey stands out as a typically Indian face but one who exudes a lot of charm and intelligence. That says it all. What is even more striking is his very natural (read unfilmi) acting. Having dabbled in theatre perhaps, he tries to make his character appear much more appealing and believable with his conversational style of dialogue delivery.

In a role which could easily fall short of conventional acceptance, he also maintains his balance – as a bored husband who is looking for some excitement at the very suggestion of such a plan, his enthusiasm is funnily acceptable. Simultaneously, the trepidation resulting from his sudden zest in his life through a swapping bedmate is palpable.

The actor plays it safe by not resorting to over-the-top sequences and underplays his emotion. He gets great support from his screen wife Konkona Sen but that doesn’t take away the actor’s own ability to make ample use of his prowess. In fact their onscreen chemistry crackles - thanks to their attempts at not making their roles look clichéd.