EXCLUSIVE: Ranjeet’s son Jeeva says he used to ‘hate movies’: I grew up seeing my father getting beaten

Veteran actor Ranjeet is known for being one of the most iconic villains that the Hindi film industry has ever seen. In December last year, Ranjeet had his son Jeeva make his acting debut carrying forward his father’s legacy, with Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Govinda Naam Mera. The actor received some great reviews for his portrayal of the quirky Six Pack Sandy. Post that, Jeeva got into an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Bubble where he opened up about the reception of the Shashank Khaitan directorial and being Ranjeet’s son, discussing all the expectations that come with it. Excerpts from the interview:

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How has been the reception to Six Pack Sandy from Govinda Naam Mera?

“Genuinely, it has been a real surprise. It was fun but a small role, so I wasn’t expecting people to pay so much attention to it. But with the reactions I have been getting, I had to pinch myself on few occasions. The love has been fantastic. The biggest worry for me was my father because it was a surprise for him. When we were at the screening, I was just looking at his expressions the whole time. He got real emotional seeing me perform, especially a character like Six Pack Sandy. I am not like that in real life at all. I am a bit introvert, more reserved. So, I am still digesting the love I have been getting.”

What did your father say to you after seeing your performance?

“It hit him the next day. After the screening everyone was talking to him, and being who he is, they were reminiscing about their past. So, he wasn’t able to digest it all that night. But the day it started streaming, he watched the film again. Then he came up to me and had a full fledged conversation where he reminisced about his first project a lot, which also had him play an eccentric, supporting character. So, he was really happy for me and it was a surprise for him as he didn’t know that I had auditioned for Govinda Naam Mera. He got quite emotional of the fact that mere bete ne perform kar liya.”

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Were their any concerns in your mind about taking on the role as it had so many quirks and such roles usually get stereotyped a lot?

“Honestly, the thought did initially come in mind. But then, I thought that even Nawazuddin Siddiqui once got typecast and then got an opportunity to break out of it. Even Rajkummar Rao have had few repetitive roles as everyone has to find a breaking point for themselves, Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes its quick. I looked at it as an opportunity to have a starting point. A lot of people didn’t know that I had been trying for films for the last 6-7 years. I had been auditioning the whole time. And now that the cards have been dealt, it’s up to me now how to play them.”

What was your mindset behind getting into acting? Was it the expectations of following your father’s legacy or something else?

“The kind of comforts and happiness we have seen in our lives growing up were because of the successes my father saw in his career. So, my father did have this desire to see his kid become a superstar and have a big launch. But he never put that pressure on me or my sister. We were given the full freedom to choose our own paths. When I was a kid, I hated movies because I grew up seeing my father getting beaten. (Laughs) I was always like why does Bollywood wants to kill my father? Why is Bollywood making my family do such things. But as I matured I realised that it is a performance. And because of how good he has been in them, he has created a legacy of his own. So, in childhood, Hindi cinema was a bit of a scare for me. Imagine an 8 year old, seeing his father being beaten in the most atrocious ways. But after maturing, I started watching movies more and I started respecting the kind of work my father did more.”

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During childhood, do kids used to tease you about your father playing a villain?

“The first time it hit me that the people had this opinion about my father that he is a bad guy was when one classmate had invited me to his house. I met his grandmother there and she asked me about my parents. When I told her my father’s name, she went full white and instructed my classmate that she didn’t want him to meet me ever again because of who my father is. At that moment, it was a bit traumatic, but as we grew up, we started laughing about it.”

Did you ever went up to your dad to ask why was he doing only bad roles? 

“Honestly, I can’t recollect that because I said it maybe more to my mom. I remember once talking to my mom. She had done 2 films when I was young and I thought maybe here I will get a chance to see one of my parents do a ‘good’ part. The film turned out to be a horror film where the monster kills my mother. I was very upset with my mom after it and I told her why do you guys keep doing things like this. (Laughs)”

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Considering your father is such an iconic Bollywood villain, people might expect you to do such roles too. Does that scare you or excite you? 

“It definitely excites me. I can never replicate my father’s life and journey. That was his path and I am trying to create my own.”

Has your approach towards choosing your work changed after doing your first film?

“My approach is still the same. I am still doing the audition route. The acceptance isn’t in my hand, it’s in the hands of the audiences, producers and studios. I have also been writing for quite a while, and it has been a passion project. So, I have been looking forward to developing a project.”

Also Read: Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani starrer Govinda Naam Mera wins hearts as it becomes Ormax’s TOP OTT originals of the week