Sanjay Kapoor: Directors show a lot of belief in me

Sriram Raghavan and Sanjay Kapoor

Sanjay Kapoor remembers meeting Sriram Raghavan almost five years ago at a party hosted by Shah Rukh Khan. All the two did was rave about each other's recent work - he about the director's Andhadhun (2018), and Raghavan about his performance in Lust Stories (2018). "I think he had it in his mind that he would cast me in one of his films," grins Kapoor. Things worked out perfectly for the duo as they teamed up for Merry Christmas, headlined by Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi.

In Raghavan's deliciously twisted thriller, Kapoor plays Ronnie, who tries his luck with Kaif's Maria after meeting her at a church. That his character, unsuspecting of the mayhem around him, was so well-written made it an easier yes for him. "You want to work with a good director, but you also want your role to be good. Ronnie comes only in the film's second half, but the story really starts with his introduction. Sriram was so keen on having me that after I said yes, he excused himself, went to his ADs and said, ‘Sanjay has said yes!' There was so much excitement among them. That gave me confidence; that here is a director who could have cast anyone, but he was excited about me saying yes."

Things have been looking up for Kapoor since he featured in Lust Stories. Soon, he will be seen in Homi Adajania's Murder Mubarak, and Prakash Jha's next. "I am working with some of the best directors right now. They show a lot of belief in me. It's not that they have suddenly woken up to me. It's [the result of] my perseverance. Even when I was in my low [phase], I didn't lose focus." Does he feel these directors saw in him what the industry couldn't back in the day? "I don't want to blame those directors. I am better suited for the kind of work I am doing now."