Ranbir Kapoor may have gained heartthrob status with his "lover boy" roles but the actor is excited about his upcoming film 'Rajneeti', where in his own words, he plays "a mature man" for the first time. "I have usually acted in coming-of-age dramas or done lover boy roles in my films so far but 'Rajneeti' is my first mature role.

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It is a dark political thriller and also my first character with grey shades," Ranbir told PTI in an interview. The film, which is inspired by 'Mahabharata', is a satire on the Indian political system and has a formidable ensemble cast in Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif, Vivek Oberoi and Manoj Bajpai. The actor, who recently wrapped up the shoot in Bhopal, is "thrilled" to be a part of Jha's ambitious project. "It was really great to work with Prakash Jha. He is one of the great directors in the industry and has contributed a lot to Indian cinema. The film has a great ensemble cast. We just finished the shooting," the actor says about the film, which is based on the Madhya Pradesh politics. After 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani', Ranbir teams up with Katrina Kaif again in 'Ranjneeti' and the actor describes the Bollywood beauty as "phenomenal". "Katrina is phenomenal. She has this undying energy on the set. She is so successful but never takes it for granted. From not knowing the language to becoming one of the biggest star, she has achieved a lot. I have tremendous respect for her as an artiste," Ranbir gushes about his co-star.

Ranbir is also looking forward to 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year', where he plays a middle class Sardar. He grew a beard to shoot for the film. "Rocket Singh is about a real sardar. He has no similarity with our filmi sardar. It is a underdog story. My character is a middle-class guy, who wants to be a salesman, it is his story," says Ranbir, adding that growing a beard helped him get into the skin of the character. The Yash Raj's project is being directed by Shimit Amin, who helmed the award winning film 'Chak De! India', and stars newcomer Shazahn Padamsee opposite Ranbir.

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Starting his Bollywood journey with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's box-office dud 'Saawariya', Ranbir has come a long way from the failure of his debut. His last two films 'Wake Up Sid' and 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' have done well at the box office but the actor says he has no time to pause and enjoy the successes. "I am in a hurry. It seems to me that time is running out. I wish I had 48 hours in a day then perhaps I will achieve my dreams faster. I have really waited for 24 years to be where I am today." The young star, who comes from the famous Kapoor family, which boasts of names like Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor among others, may be hailed as the the next big thing in Bollywood but the actor does not agree with the notion, which he believes is temporary.