If Ranbir Kapoor is being seen as the true inheritor of the Kapoor legacy, it is with reason. In his debut film Saawariya, a major part of Ranbir's personality was patterned on Raj Kapoor. And now Raj Kumar Santoshi, who sees a special spark in the Saawariya star, is getting ready to take Ranbir's acting ancestry to another level.

In Santoshi's Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Ranbir plays the melancholy lover-boy hopelessly in love with the idea of being in love. The character was immortalised by Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker and before him, Chaplin in City Lights. Ranbir, in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani plays Prem, a true inheritor of the two imperishable heroes from the past.

Says Santoshi, "I decided Ranbir was the right actor for my film from the time I saw Saawariya. He plays Prem, an innocent guy with a heart of gold. Yes, there will be distinct elements of Charlie Chaplin and Raj Kapoor, though not too much of it. Raj saab has already done it all in Sri 420 and it would look repetitive. Also, that level of political and sexual innocence would look odd in present times. Let's say Ranbir plays the Charlie Chaplin and Raj Kapoor of our times."

Santoshi fondly recalls the experience of working with Ranbir's father. "In my Damini Rishi Kapoor played a really difficult role… of a man caught between his duties towards his family and society. Though Rishi didn't have an author-backed role, what a beautiful job he did."

Ranbir, on the other hand, not only has the title role in Ajab Prem…, his character also gets to go through a series of life-changing experiences. "Ranbir takes interest in every aspect of the film. He's a keen student of cinema. His enthusiasm for cinema goes much beyond his role. I know I'll enjoy shooting with him. But beyond that, I'm right now enjoying interacting with him," says Santoshi.

In the next two months, Santoshi will be doing a first-look photo session with Ranbir and Katrina Kaif. "We'll also be sitting on the costumes because the clothes are a very important part of the story. We start shooting the film only when Ranbir returns from his long foreign schedule of the Yashraj Film," says Santoshi.

Being a full-on love story, Pritam is doing the music score of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. "I've been watching Pritam's growth as a musician. And I can't think of anyone else for this project," says Santoshi, who has earlier worked with the likes of A R Rahman.