Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor began his film career in 2007 with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This journey, spanning from Saawariya to Ramayana, has lasted approximately 18 to 19 years. During this period, Ranbir has starred in a diverse range of films, ranging from action and musicals to romance. On April 2nd, Ranir Kapoor's look as Rama from Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana was released.
For the unversed, Ramayana is set to be released in two parts. But before that know everything about Ranbir's cinematic odyssey.
A flop debut
Ranbir Kapoor was born on September 28, 1982, in Mumbai. His father, Rishi Kapoor, and his mother, Neetu Kapoor, were both renowned actors. To hone his craft, he studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. Before making his debut as an actor, Ranbir worked as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Black and later made his debut with SLB's Saawariya.
The film was released in 2007, featuring Ranbir in the lead role alongside Sonam Kapoor. The film clashed with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's Om Shanti Om and proved to be a commercial failure at the box office. Nevertheless, Ranbir received the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance in the movie. His acting was widely appreciated by critics and audiences alike.
He then featured in 2008's Bachna Ae Haseeno. The film made with almost Rs 30 crores of budget was able to mint Rs 36 crores at the box office but was unable to give Ranbir his first blockbuster.
The first success
Following Saawariya, Ranbir starred in three films in 2009: Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. While his acting in these films was highly praised, the first two did good at the box office but Rocket Singh failed.
Then in 2010, Ranbir appeared in the film Raajneeti. In this film, Ranbir portrayed the character of an ambitious politician. The film proved to be a huge success and also made people take Ranbir seriously as amid huge critically acclaimed stars, the actor made his presence felt. Rajneeti was made with budget of Rs 45 crores and it earned Rs 145 crores at the box office. Though in the same year Ranbir gave a flop in form of Anjana Anjani.
The Ranbir Kapoor era!
Rockstar, released in 2011, in which Ranbir played the role of a troubled musician Jordan and bagged Filmfare Award with film being a hit. Barfi! came in 2012. He portrayed the character of a deaf-mute young man, a role that remains one of his most memorable performances. This film also earned him the Filmfare Best Actor award and box office success.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani in 2013 was a massive hit and cemented Ranbir's status as a youth icon.
However, with several box office success, Ranbir also saw flops in the form of Besharam (2013), Roy (2015), Bombay Velvet (2015) and Tamasha (2015).
However, the actor bounced back with Karan Johar's superhit film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in 2016. He later gave another flop, Jagga Jasoos to return with the blockbuster film Sanju.
With the commercial failure Shamera (2022), Ranbir returned with the superhit film Brahmastra (2022) and with Animal in 2023 the actor broke his own records. For the unversed, Animal became his highest-grossing film to date and he won his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
Ranbir will be back as Rama
Ranbir Kapoor will now be seen portraying the character of Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana. This film is set to be released in two parts. The film has been produced in the IMAX format and Rs 4000 crore are riding on this film.
For the unversed, Ramayana Part 1 is scheduled for release on Diwali 2026 and Ramayana Part 2 will release on Diwali 2027.
Also Read: Ramayana: Was Ranbir Kapoor's Rama look designed by Dhurandhar fame Preetisheel Singh?