Just weeks after we were left to tend to our fragile hearts in the aftermath of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ comes another superhero film. Except thankfully for us, it wont be as gut-wrenching as Infinity War, where half of our favourite superheroes were wiped out in a matter of a second. This Friday, Ryan Reynolds returns in his most fun avatar as  Deadpool, in the second installment of the film. If that isn’t cause for excitement yet, sample this news: Ranveer ‘Baba’ Singh will be voicing the Hindi version of Deadpool. Small joys, but that effectively means that Bollywood’s eternal fun man, Ranveer Singh is also in Marvels anti-hero ‘Deadpool 2’.

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If the Hindi trailer is any proof, we can be sure of one thing: It’s going to be one hell of a joyride. In the immensely enjoyable trailer itself, Singh as Deadpool is heard uttering colourful and localised phrases like Uski maa ka, saki naka besides cursing in pure abandon in not just Hindi, but also marathi and Punjabi accents. From the trailer, it’s evident how easily Singh has managed to get into the skin of the character to make us feel like ‘Deadpool 2’ in Hindi would be no different than the one in English. And, believe it or not, the Deadpool team has found a perfect match in Ranveer Singh.

We were first introduced to the unconventional Deadpool with a penchant for twisted jokes, all-round quirkiness, and infectious screen presence (despite the face) almost two years ago. In the fun-filled adventure that followed in Deadpool, we gleaned some crucial bits about him: his no-nonsense personality was the stuff of dreams, his wit was unparalleled and most importantly, he had the weirdly right balance of mischief and responsibility. After the film came out, the one universal word that would be attached to the superhero was unadulterated fun.

Now, pause, breathe, and take a second to reflect. Is there any Bollywood actor whose personality screams unadulterated fun? Chances are, you thought of none other than Ranveer Singh, didn’t you?

With his electric gaze, mischievous sex appeal, and his eternal energy, Singh is a living, nothing but a breathing, living embodiment of Deadpool himself. Not even Ryan Reynolds can come close to the inherent chutzpah that Singh is adept at channeling.

Think about it, what better Deadpool than the man who dances like no one’s watching, is the life of every party, and ensures that he makes a statement wherever he goes. In fact, entertaining might as well be his middle name.

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There are a lot of reasons the Deadpool franchise was successful in amassing a cult appeal. But, the main reason was how the film revels in its anti-heroness. It wasn’t your usual superhero film with self-important protagonists who were acutely aware of their own greatness. One who chose a boring life in order to be admired. Ones who wear their Messiah complex as a well-earned badge. Unlike these heroes who take endless care to hide their greys, and make you feel as if you’re either born a hero or not, Deadpool celebrates his unlikeability. 

Deadpool is a testament to the fact that being a hero doesn’t require adoption of conventional (and frankly, boring) means. Anyone can be a hero, as long as they’re not afraid to acknowledge that can be quite an asshole too. Most of all, to my mind, the biggest achievement of Deadpool is that it shatters the myth of heroes being perfect.

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Coincidentally, it’s also the very myth Singh unknowingly shatters every day. His larger than life persona and fun and frolic attitude guarantees that we know that our heroes are not some untouchable gods. They’re real humans who should be celebrated as much for their talents as their kinks and abilities to let their hair down. Which in Singh’s case is either dressing up in pajamas for an Awards show or lifting the groom in a wedding as a prop for his dance move. 

Sample this: At a special screening for ‘Deadpool 2’, Singh spanked the character’s action-figure. That’s such a Deadpool and Ranveer Singh thing to do at the same time.

It’s only fair then that Singh voices Deadpool. Apart from the fact that there can be no jodi better than this, it could be the impetus that dubbed Hollywood movies desperately need.

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In India, dubbed Hollywood movies have always gotten the stepmotherly status. The existence of their Hindi versions are merely incidental; done as a formality and ones that never cease to embarass. Who doesn’t remember the heartbreakingly swift translation of Godzilla into badi chipkali, which essentially robbed the film of its essence? 

But, with Ranveer Singh at the helm, ‘Deadpool 2’ might just be the game-changer. It could really be the silver lining that Hindi versions of Hollywood movies have been patiently craving. Rest assured, the dubbing of ‘Deadpool 2’ will not have been done without any thought, and thanks to Ranveer Singh, I’m sure, more people will be considering to head out to watch the Hindi dubbed version of ‘Deadpool 2’. I, for one, will certainly be one of them. In fact, I’ll also be petitioning for him to headline in a completely Bollywood version of Deadpool.

Last year’s “Kala Chashma” from the Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ became an instant rage for a variety of reasons. It was a hummable and foot-tapping party number, Katrina’s abs looked the best they ever have, and then there were the dance steps. Flanked by a bevy of female white backup dancers, Katrina gyrated to the trademark steps that became a sort of a permanent presence in almost every wedding thereafter. It was impossible to not want to move to the song the moment the music came on. But, amid the fun and the galore, we missed noticing the one crucial element responsible for making ‘Kala Chashma’ what it was: its backup dancers.

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In the big bad world of Bollywood, the tribe of backup dancers, who form the backbone of any music number, lead not just an invisible life, but also an exploited one. Unlike the star-kid backup dancers like Shahid Kapoor, these dancers lead an unglamorous and overworked life. It’s more so when you’re a white backup dancer trying to make it big in the alien world of Bollywood without any idea of Mumbai’s culture, the language, or its people.

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Twenty-five-year-old Jack* is one such male backup dancer braving odds, long working hours, and dismal exposure to make a living in Mumbai. But, life isn’t as sweet as he had imagined it’d be. “Even after struggling in Bollywood for seven years, I still end up living on a month paycheck basis sometimes,” he tells me. Originally from England, Jack came on a backpacking trip to India almost 10 years ago, on a tourist visa. The plan was to backpack across the country for close to two months, with a last pit stop at Mumbai, the City Of Dreams. “I did odd modelling jobs during college and saved up money to gift myself a graduation trip to India,” he reveals.

It was in the last week of his trip that he stumbled upon the Hindi film industry and its myriad workings travelling to Goregaon’s Film City as part of a Bollywood package tour. “The tour included the usual spots: Mannat, Jalsa and the likes. The last stretch included a tour of Film City and the chance to witness a film shoot at Yash Raj Studios.” As luck would have it, that shoot ended up being Farah Khan’s ‘Om Shanti Om’, and the song they were shooting that day was the iconic ‘Dard-E-Disco’ that saw SRK, the country’s biggest superstar sporting eight-pack abs.

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For Jack, that was his first tryst with both Bollywood and a dance number. “I had very little background on SRK at that point apart from the fact that he was referred as the King of Bollywood. What amused me more was the 20-odd male backup dancers flanking him. They were all white.” After an hour of shoot, the director called for a break and that’s when Jack bumped into a school senior doubling up as a backup dancer on set. “I met Robyn* after almost 10 years and had no idea she was a backup dancer. Back then, we all thought she’d end up as an actor or some such,” he tells me. It was a chat with Robyn that set the ball rolling for Jack’s long-drawn but hardly rewarding career in Bollywood. “That day, Robyn made it sound like such a dream. She told me how the industry was depending on only white backup dancers and money was therefore easy. I made up my mind the moment she told me how much she would make for these day shoots: Rs 50,000 for a few hours.”

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That 20-minute conversation changed Jack’s life. He completed the rest of his trip and in a few months flew back to Mumbai, this time permanently. “Looking back at it, I realise how little I thought about that decision. I was young, a decent dancer and had no idea what I wanted from life, so I figured why not?” After he landed, Jack made the rounds of all the usual offices of various agents and put up with Robyn and her boyfriend Rob, a “veteran back up dancer” seen in Kal Ho Na Ho’s “Pretty Woman”, in a plush Versova apartment.

The first few years were exactly as Jack expected it would be. He was getting ample work, featured in a slew of hit numbers; ‘Chittiyan Kalaiyan’, ‘Bang Bang’ to name a few, and there was no dearth of money. “At that time, I was earning in lakhs every month and so overconfident of that being the case for a long long time,” he laughingly remembers.

But it was only the calm before the storm.

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In the last three years, while Bollywood’s fascination with white backup dancers has still maintained a crazy frenzy, what however changed is their preference. Most Bollywood films were choreographing more and more songs with only female backup dancers in mind. “They were of the opinion that relying more on female backup dancers would ensure that their song and film is much more profitable. The girls would add the ample sex appeal needed. And, that’s how we started losing work.”

It started slow, with fewer offers and less screen time. “Take Kala Chashma for instance. There were around 30 female dancers and about half the number of male dancers. Not only did they dominate more screen time, but they were also paid more for the same work,” he tells me. But, now the situation is even more dire. Even as work and pay dwindled, the hours expected from them continued increasing.

Dance isn’t dance any longer; they needed to know a handful of stunts that would invariably lead to unforeseen accidents. But no coverage. Once, during a shoot abroad, Jack and another dancer sustained serious injuries while attempting a stunt and were forced to two months bed-rest. He claims he was more bummed about the fact that he wouldn’t earn money for two months more than the fact that he was injured. “Forget the fact that I’m losing out on work, but now even payments are being processed a month late. It’s a grim situation,” he rues.

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On the work front, Jack has two more projects at the moment that require as much as 14-hours a day, and fetch him as much money as a fresher, even though he admits he doesn’t even love dancing anymore. The lack of work in films has forced him to take up more maddening ad film work. “The situation there is even more worse,” he laughs.

As he gets ready to leave for an ad shoot, I prod him on whether he’s contemplated leaving it all and moving back home.

“I don’t even have enough for this month’s rent, forget having enough for a flight ticket,” he replies before waving a goodbye.

*Names changed on request.