When Ranveer Singh locked himself up in a hotel room for 21 days

New Delhi: In five years of his career, Ranveer Singh has come to be known for his flamboyance but the actor says under his garb of flashiness lies an extremely shy man, who is not comfortable expressing his sensitive side to the public.

Ranveer Singh

The 30-year-old "Ram Leela" star says he is very happy that he comes across as an entertaining and energetic person to his fans because he does not want to appear too "sad".

"I am a very shy and sensitive guy, get emotionally attached easily. I am emotionally vulnerable but I show this side only to a few people. Like they say about clowns, those who make people laugh are the saddest inside. On public platform, if I show this side of mine then I will look melancholic," Ranveer told PTI.

"It is not that what the audience sees is untrue. In fact, I am a crowd pleaser, I am a people's person but that is not me completely. I just like to reserve the emotional part of me to my family and a few friends because the truth is that even I am not comfortable bringing up my emotional aspect."

The actor, however, gets a chance to drop his inhibitions when he is in front of the camera. Ranveer says by playing different roles on screen, he gets to express himself and he finds that liberating.

"I express myself fully through films. There I don't feel shy. My characters give me a chance to be so much, all that I want to do. I become naked and totally uninhibited when I am working.

"Like when I was doing 'Bajirao Mastani', I felt strong and intense like Bajirao. I imbibed these qualities and try aping him. So, that way I get to release a lot that's inside me."

"Bajirao Mastani" marks Ranveer's first period film and comes at a point when he has established himself as a saleable star. Seen as a risk by some and a game changer by others, it is also filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's most ambitious film.

When asked if he think the movie will prove to be a milestone in his career, Ranveer said, "I always see how much forward have I moved with a film. 'Band Baaja Baaraat' took me 10 steps ahead, 'Ram Leela' was a leap forward, 'Kill Dil' maybe took me nowhere and then 'Dil Dhadakne Do' was a few steps forward.

"Now I hope 'Bajirao Mastani' is a leap forward. I have invested a lot in the movie. It is definitely my biggest film and I have worked very hard on it. I do have high hopes from the movie."

The actor locked himself up in a hotel room for 21 days and from physical training to accent classes, he immersed himself fully in the character of the Maratha warrior.

"I was clear that when people see the film, they should see Bajirao and not Ranveer Singh the actor. To create that distinction, it was a whole process from morning to night. I used to work out a lot because I wanted toughness in the physical strength. I worked on body language and did a lot of research. With the script, I did a deep text analysis, making notes."

The film is set to take on Shah Rukh Khan's "Dilwale" on December 18 and naturally Ranveer is pitted against the superstar. The actor, whose energy is often compared with SRK, does not see any competition between them as for him the 50-year-old star is a living legend.

"I get to hear about this similarity a lot. I have been getting since the day I made my debut, people on social media also say that a lot but not only me, there is no one who is comparable to Shah Rukh.

"He is a living legend. I have grown up watching him and everytime I meet him, I take something away from him. I am not competing with him."