Filmmaker

Imtiaz Ali

, known for collaborating with some of the biggest stars in the Hindi film industry, recently shared his

observations

on the

differences

between Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, both as individuals and performers. In an interview, he noted that the two actors are ‘completely different,’ highlighting their distinct approaches to interacting with others and tackling scenes.

Imtiaz worked with Ranbir on Tamasha and Rockstar, and with Shah Rukh on Jab Harry Met Sejal.

While talking to Mid-day, the ace filmmaker said, “Completely different. Shah Rukh is a very charming, intelligent, kind person. The commonality is that both are very interested in people, and both are very good with people in different ways. Shah Rukh has the confidence to reach out and talk to people. Ranbir, I feel, is inhibited. So, he does not make the initial approach to start talking to somebody. He waits for them to start talking to him. But he’s as interested (in people) as Shah Rukh is.”

He added, “As actors, they’re chalk and cheese; completely different. Ranbir lets himself go. Often times, he’s not aware of reality when he’s in a shot. He’s in the zone. He’s lost to the world; he’s lost to the process of filming. But Shah Rukh is not like that. Shah Rukh is also very aware. He’s also from theatre. He’s got much more knowledge about acting. Ranbir is very instinctive, but he’s also extremely informed, extremely passionate. He’s completely informed about the script. I would be surprised, every second or third day, he would read the whole script from beginning to end. In the little time he gets to sleep, he would also do this.”

In the same interview, Imtiaz Ali expressed his frustration with the perception that he was a ‘snooty’ director, which motivated him to create Jab Harry Met Sejal. He admitted that he hadn’t fully anticipated how Shah Rukh Khan’s immense stardom might affect the film’s reception and mentioned that, in hindsight, he might have approached the project differently.