Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who works primarily in Hindi-language films. Born on September 28, 1982, in Mumbai, he belongs to the Kapoor family, a prominent dynasty in Indian cinema. His parents are actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, and his great-grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor was also a major figure in the industry. Before acting in feature films, Ranbir studied filmmaking and method acting in the United States and worked as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black (2005).

Kapoor made his acting debut in Bhansali’s Saawariya (2007), playing Raj, a young man who falls in love with a woman waiting for another lover. The film did not succeed at the box office, but Kapoor received the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. His next films established a more varied screen image. In Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), he played a young man whose past relationships shape his understanding of love. In Wake Up Sid (2009), directed by Ayan Mukerji, he portrayed Sid Mehra, a privileged and directionless college student who gradually takes responsibility for his life.

A major turning point came with Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009), a romantic comedy, and Prakash Jha’s political drama Raajneeti (2010), in which Kapoor played Samar Pratap, a reluctant member of a politically powerful family. In Rockstar (2011), directed by Imtiaz Ali, he played Janardhan Jakhar, an aspiring musician who adopts the stage name Jordan. The role required Kapoor to perform songs on screen and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He received another Best Actor award for Anurag Basu’s Barfi! (2012), playing a deaf and mute young man whose relationships with Shruti and Jhilmil form the emotional center of the story.

Kapoor later starred in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) as Bunny, a travel-loving student whose ambitions complicate his relationships with old friends. The film became one of his most commercially successful releases. After a run of disappointing films, he returned to major box-office success in Rajkumar Hirani’s biographical drama Sanju (2018), portraying actor Sanjay Dutt. His performance earned him another Filmfare Best Actor award.

In 2022, Kapoor appeared opposite Alia Bhatt in Ayan Mukerji’s fantasy adventure Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, playing a young man who discovers his connection to a powerful force. He subsequently starred in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal (2023), a crime drama that drew substantial attention and debate. Across his career, Kapoor has moved between romance, comedy, political drama, musical storytelling, and biographical film.