Over the course of his decade-long career, Ranbir Kapoor has never played it safe. Even when the risks didn’t pay off, his reputation as a superstar and more importantly, one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, has only grown stronger.

Well aware of the onus on his shoulders, he maintains that he does not take his job for granted. “I understand that I’m one of the few privileged people who had it easy in life, and that there are many out there who are way more talented than me. I think if I take my job lightly or don’t surrender to every role, I won’t deserve the position that I’m in today.”

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That said, there is one film that niggles… one performance that he believes he could better. “When I see Raajneeti (2010), I sometimes feel I should have worked harder in that film. Back then, I didn’t understand the movie’s beats and nuances. I’m grateful to Prakash Jha for giving me that film. If I had a chance to do it again, I will give it much more.”

His observation is surprising, considering he won widespread appreciation for his performance in the film, which portrayed the tale of a political family. Point out that he stood out in the film and he counters that it was the role that stood out. “It was only when I was dubbing for it that I realized this film has so much potential for me as an actor. I think it did a lot of justice to me, but I didn’t do justice to the character. I regret not being able to give more to that film, though I’m very happy with what it did for my career,” he says.

Back in 2010, the political thriller Raajneeti was the film that helped break Ranbir Kapoor’s lover boy image and present him as a mature man. “I have usually acted in coming-of-age dramas or done lover boy roles in my films so far but Raajneeti is my first mature role,” he had shared at the time. It was also his first character with grey shades in a film inspired by the Mahabharata.