Observation is the tool for becoming good actor, not gymming, says Rishi Kapoor

Rishi Kapoor says the fact that aspiring actors are more focused on gymming than the craft, makes him feel disheartened.

The 65-year-old veteran actor, however, said he is in favour of joining film schools or getting trained on the sets, as he believes an actor can do well by "observing" their seniors.

"I am observing that to become an actor, people say, they want to join gym. Why join a gym? Why don't you join an institute where they teach you how to act? You must work with a good director and work in a film where you have good actors, so you should observe the actor and understand things," Rishi told PTI.

 

Citing example of his son, Ranbir, who worked as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhasali's "Black" before making his acting debut with "Saawariya", the actor said, "Observation is a big tool for any actor. You observe and you bank it in your mind. I don't know why all these actors think going to a gym or riding horses or learning how to fight are the steps to becoming an actor. It is absolutely bulls*** and nonsense."

He added that Bachchan, who earned the sobriquet of 'Angry Young Man' in the early '80s, "never had the body, he never had the muscles", and yet went on to become one of the biggest action stars of Hindi cinema through hard work and dedication.

"There is no technique (to my acting). I am a natural actor. I try to keep it spontaneous as far as possible. That is my mantra," he added.

When Rishi made his debut with "Bobby" in 1973, he was immediately slotted in the "lover boy" category. The actor, however, said being "jacketed into an image" worked as a disadvantage for him.

"My image was that of a romantic, soft hero. It worked as a disadvantage for me at a time when action heroes were more successful. But there's one thing, non-actors will not survive. They will have to be good with their craft and skills," he said.

Also featuring Amitabh Bachchan, "102 Not Out" is set to hit the theatres on May 4.

The film is directed by Umesh Shukla.