Jim Sarbh says 'I don't believe in scene-stealers'. Talks about working with Ranveer, Deepika in Padmaavat | Exclusive

Jim Sarbh is receiving love from all quarters for his performance as Dr Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys. In an exclusive interaction with IndiaToday.in, Jim spoke about his career, standing out while sharing screen space with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat, and much more.

‘Naam hi kaafi hain’ - is what we feel every time Jim Sarbh features in a film or a show. Over the years, Jim has changed the definition of ‘unique’ with his power-packed performances. Be it Khalil in Neerja, Malik Kafur in Padmaavat or Dr Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys, Jim manages to stand out in everything he does. Of late, the actor is garnering kudos from all quarters for his performance in SonyLiv’s Rocket Boys. In an exclusive interaction with IndiaToday.in, Jim Sarbh opened up about the challenges he faced while perfecting Dr Homi Bhabha, if he wants to be a part of masala films, and working with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in Padmaavat.

Excerpts from the conversation:

Jim Sarbh played Dr Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys and he nailed it and how! Speaking to IndiaToday.in, Jim opened up on the prep that was required and the challenges he faced to perfect his character. He shared, “It’s a good combination of good writing, a great director and the fact that they just send me in the right direction or see what I am trying to do and help make it shine. What I do is just rehearse. I try to read the scene as many times as I can and the approach my character would take.”

He further added, “I started reading and then I did my own research on what I found interesting and what they sent me. Then I read the script and saw if I represented the character they were trying to create. You may have an idea of a character sounding dry and funny by the way it’s written. Because it’s really hard to write a good scene. It is really hard, but that’s the truth. You want him to sound dry and witty and knowledgeable, but he is coming across as condescending, a bit of a blowhard. Abhay [Rocket Boys director Abhay Pannu] would be like 'I know', and then we would start improvising and then we would argue and get ideas later.”

We asked Jim if it is a conscious choice to not be a part of Bollywood'a masala films and do something unique every time. He replied, “No, I don’t know. I am drawn to certain parts and certain directors, that’s that I guess. There’s nothing to say about this. I would love to be in comedies or masala films as well. But I feel there is a way to do any kind of comedy which is actually funny, which engages me. I don’t like being in a film which I feel is relying on tricks. I just care about the project itself. The project telling a brilliant story. That’s what I am interested in. I’d rather be in a more organic thing where you feel like I have felt these things and not been forced to feel these things.”

It's been four years since Padmaavat was released (January 25, 2018), and we still can't get over how brilliant Jim was as Malik Kafur. The actor shared screen space with Bollywood A-listers such as Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor and yet managed to stand out. We asked Jim if there’s a secret to this. And, pat came his reply, “There’s no trick. I just want to do my best.”

He further added, “I just try to approach the scene as best as I can and, for me, it’s not about who the co-actor is but it is about creating the best possible scene that we can. And in doing that, everyone has to be good or the scene is dead. So I don’t believe in like scene-stealers, ye wo, any of that. Everyone has to be committed, has to be the best and we have to make the best possible scene when we can. Even if there’s a quiet moment, it can still be very exciting if done well.”