There is a particular ease to watching Ranveer Brar on screen. For years, that quality has defined his presence as a chef: the careful handling of ingredients, the pauses between instructions, the sense that food, for him, is as much about memory as it is about method. It’s a persona that has travelled well, migrating almost intact into his early acting work, where familiarity became its own form of currency.
But Brar, as it turns out, is less interested in comfort than in what unsettles it. When he speaks about acting, he doesn’t frame it as a pivot or even an expansion, but as a deliberate act of self-disruption. It is an attempt to place himself in situations that feel, in his words, “the right sort of uncomfortable.”
This instinct has led him steadily away from the reassuring overlap between his culinary identity and his on-screen roles. If Modern Love Mumbai allowed him to inhabit a version of himself, subsequent projects like The Buckingham Murders and the recent Maa Ka Sum signal a conscious loosening of that tether.
In conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Brar resists grand narratives about reinvention. He speaks instead of presence, of vulnerability, of the small but significant shifts that occur when one learns to be fully inside a moment — whether in a kitchen or between “action” and “cut.”
Edited excerpts
THR India: It was lovely seeing you and Mona Singh together in Maa Ka Sum. Congratulations on the show.
Ranveer Brar: Thank you. It was an interesting role for me.
THR India: There’s a lot of curiosity around your venture into acting. You’re already so established as a chef, so why step into something new? It feels very intentional, not something you need to do, but something you want to do. You’ve said acting was never the plan, so what made you stay?
Ranveer Brar: I think it was after The Buckingham Murders. Those 21 days of shooting in London—completely cut off from family, fully immersed in the character—it was my first film, not a series. I had to navigate a lot of discomfort through the character, whether it was playing an abusive husband or a murderer.
And I felt the right kind of uncomfortable in those 21 days. As a person, even beyond being a chef, I’ve always sought situations that make me uncomfortable. I’ve always believed growth happens where you’re most vulnerable.
That’s when I realised I had to put intent behind this. I saw acting as a path to disruptive growth—not monetary growth, but discovering new avenues and understanding more about myself.
THR India: In Modern Love Mumbai, you played a version of yourself. But with The Buckingham Murders and now Maa Ka Sum, you’re moving away from that. Are you consciously shedding the “chef playing chef” safety net?
Ranveer Brar: Yeah, I think I shed that in The Buckingham Murders. That character is nowhere close to who I am. And yes, there is a conscious effort.
If I’m committing to this craft, I know I have a long way to go. There are people who’ve spent their entire lives doing this. So I don’t want to rely on the safety net of doing what I already do. That would be disrespectful to the craft.
THR India: Your onscreen persona has always felt deeply empathetic—almost literary. You feel like “a man written by a woman,” which I mean as the highest compliment.
That also means you’re part of many women’s lives. With Modern Love Mumbai, for instance, I’ve heard of middle-aged women—who might not ordinarily be comfortable with homosexuality—giving it space because it was you. You’re in their kitchens, in their everyday lives.
Ranveer Brar: That’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard this week—thank you for putting it like that. My mom included, by the way.
But no, it wasn’t the agenda. I don’t take myself or my accomplishments too seriously. I’m someone who believes in doing things sincerely and letting that show. Maybe because I did it sincerely, it showed up in the way you described. For me, that’s a big win.
You can’t be a character and be preachy at the same time. If you’re truly in the character, you’ll touch, move, and inspire people. So I think that’s the win of the character, more than me.
THR India: But everything is inherently political—art, food, acting. It can become a form of activism. When you already have space in someone’s life, you can say something meaningful.
At the same time, that can create pressure—not wanting to make people uncomfortable and risk that love. Is that something you grapple with?
Ranveer Brar: On the first part, I completely agree—it’s important for artists to make their work mean more.
As a chef, after 35 years, I do want to make a difference through my cooking. But in acting, I’m still a very humble disciple.
As for expectations—no, I don’t grapple with that. The biggest joy for me is people accepting me for who I am. If I’m fluid, I want people to accept that.
If you love someone, you accept them in every form. You know, when the wind is blowing, a lot of people fly kites. But if someone tries to fly a kite when the wind isn’t blowing—that’s real love.
So I believe in being myself and finding my tribe—the people who accept me as I am.
THR India: You trained in editing before acting. Does that make you more aware of how your performance will be shaped? Are you thinking like an editor on set?
Ranveer Brar: Not really. I just wanted to understand cinema more deeply—world cinema, Iranian, Turkish, even German propaganda films—to understand its impact. The editing course was about understanding the mechanics of something I love.
It doesn’t affect my performance. What really helps me is understanding the camera. I do a lot of photography—I’m the brand ambassador for Leica in India. So I understand lenses, framing, magnification. I don’t need to see the viewfinder to know the frame.
That helps me project myself within the visual language—whether it’s a 50mm, 75mm, or 28mm lens—and adjust my performance accordingly.
THR India: Your acting career has grown sideways—you haven’t chased volume. You move between hosting, storytelling, and acting, while staying rooted. What does a successful acting career look like for you? Is it about frequency, impact, or something more intangible?
Ranveer Brar: I was asked this just a few hours ago.
If, at the end of it, I’ve done six or eight roles that made me really think, really explore myself—knock on doors in my mind I’d never knock on—and leave me a different person… that would be success.
We don’t control how audiences respond or how much business a film does. But the internal journey—that’s the joy.
THR India: Would you ever consider a full pivot—becoming an actor who cooks, instead of a chef who occasionally acts?
Ranveer Brar: I don’t think that’s possible. Thirty-five years is a long time. Food will always be a big part of how I see the world and express myself.
I don’t even know what a full pivot means. But if I commit to a role, I’ll give everything to it.
Both cooking and acting are about presence. When I’m cooking, there’s no past or future—just that moment. I try to approach acting the same way.
Between “action” and “cut,” if I’m fully present, everything else follows.
THR India: Lastly, what’s coming up next? Anything you can share?
Ranveer Brar: There’s a film we’re shooting right now, but I can’t share details—I’m under contract. And with the love Maa Ka Sum has received, there’s talk of a second season. Now that the family is together, let’s see where the chaos comes from.