I was 13 when Bachna Ae Haseeno, produced by Yash Raj Films featuring Ranbir Kapoor, was about to be released. The chatter was about how Rishi Kapoor‘s son was poised to be the next big star; all the newspapers and tabloids were abuzz with praise for this tall, lean lad with the illustrious Kapoor genes. Along with sharp praise for his looks came an expectation that Ranbir would display the same passion and prowess for the profession as portrayed by his father, grandfather, uncles, and mother. I especially remember how my father, while showing a song from Bachna Ae Haseeno to my grandfather, had commented, “Iss ladke me damm hai (This guy has potential).”
Even before he got his big break, Ranbir Kapoor, to me (and undoubtedly several like me), had been something of a star. His stardom, however, differs from the status quo, with his rapid ascent in the industry being significantly supported by a combination of factors: media attention, industry insiders, and his out-of-sight but prudent ensemble.
It’s obvious that Ranbir Kapoor’s career has been shaped by nepotism. Coming from the esteemed “first family of Indian cinema,” which includes a lineage of actors, producers, directors, and theater-makers. The family’s contributions to Hindi cinema and theater are unparalleled. This legacy casts a long shadow, creating high expectations for the next generation, including the Marwahs, Mukesh-Mathurs, and Bhatts, among others.
It is natural for the public to anticipate that the descendants of the family would mirror the same acting prowess, reverence for the arts, and passion for performance as their illustrious predecessors—such as Prithviraj Kapoor and his son Raj Kapoor, who founded the now-defunct RK Studios in Chembur, Mumbai. As a result, figures like Ranbir Kapoor attract significant public interest even before they enter the industry. In this way, Ranbir was a celebrity before he made his debut. However, the journey from a celebrity to a star is a difficult one.
Although Ranbir Kapoor has often downplayed the notion of him being a star, the media has persistently labeled him as such. In a 2017 interview with the comedy group ‘All India Bakchod,’ Kapoor acknowledged being a product of nepotism but countered that it meant his forebears had worked hard to create opportunities for him. Despite his reluctance to embrace the star label, Ranbir has subtly aligned himself with it through his film choices over the years. The more reluctant he appears, the more eager the media and the industry become to label him as the next big star.
A Star from the Start
Ranbir made his debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s Saawariya (2007). Bhansali, hailed as an auteur in Hindi cinema, is said to be a challenging director. Getting a break in the industry with a Bhansali film thus is a hard nut that 99 percent of budding actors cannot crack.
In Saawariya, Kapoor played a selfless man named Raj—reminiscent of Raj Kapoor from his famous films—who falls in love with Sakina (debut performance by Sonam Kapoor). The film was a tailor-made launching pad for Ranbir. On paper, this was an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s White Nights, but in several ways, it was an ode to Raj Kapoor.
In Saawariya, Ranbir portrayed a tramp character with a somewhat bumbling yet endearing persona who goes to great lengths to win his beloved’s heart. In a selfless act, he even encourages her to return to her true love, demonstrating forgiveness and magnanimity.
The film, as much as a stage for Kapoor to display his talent, attempted to encash his grandfather, Raj Kapoor’s popularity—certainly a master plan for a debut by his grandson. The film flopped at the box office, but the media remained undeterred despite its failure. Writing for Hindustan Times, Khalid Mohamed remarked about Ranbir’s performance, “…Vulnerable and yet possessed of an inner strength, a superstar is born. That would have been the case even if he had debuted in a documentary on agronomics.” Despite Saawariya’s failure, Kapoor was cast in Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), directed by Siddharth Anand under the banner of Yash Raj Films. The film was a carnival celebrating Ranbir Kapoor, his perfectly chiseled body, charisma, dancing skills, and likeness to his father, Rishi. This film was successful commercially, and Rachel Saltz from The New York Times noted that his “puppy-dog sweetness” could benefit his Bollywood career as “a leading man.”
In The HuffPost, Bhasker Chawla wrote that Bachna Ae Haseeno was a well-crafted proof that Ranbir could do it all. He could travel kilometers to apologize and fix a marriage while dancing in a procession. He could be a PA to a model in pursuit of making it up to her for breaking her heart, and she could help reverse a woman’s decision never to get married, all while being this gorgeous man. “He was the quintessential Bollywood hero: a man for all seasons and people”, writes Bhasker.
The film gave the nation a new heartthrob while promising that there is a versatile actor who is capable of anything. In fact, it consolidated Ranbir’s position such that he made a cameo as himself in Luck By Chance (2009), furthering this belief that Ranbir Kapoor was a big star who could now make guest appearances.
The next of his films substantiates his artistic aptitude and his icon status. He portrayed the role of a twentysomething bratty college student in the coming-of-age drama Wake Up Sid (2009), an over-excited loverboy trying too hard to woo her beloved in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009), a young boy from a politically influential film in Raajneeti (2010)—inspired by the Indian epic Mahabharata and Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel The Godfather.
Kapoor’s experimentation with a variety of roles ascertained a certain sincerity to the craft and a range that was not seen before from a mainstream actor. Before the release of Anjaana Anjaani (2009), also starring Priyanka Chopra, Siddharth, who collaborated with the actor earlier in Bachna Ae Haseeno, said that Ranbir has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Amitabh and become the “complete Hindi film hero”.
Later, in 2013, the Hindustan Times published an article with the headline ‘Ranbir shakes Khan hegemony‘. This was after the release of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, his 13th film. It was a big claim for that time—Shahrukh’s Chennai Express was released in November of that year, followed by Dhoom 3 starring Aamir Khan; both were the highest grossers. “He was always a star kid from whom everyone had great expectations,” the article said while acknowledging the failure of his debut film. Ahead of the release of Besharam (2013), he was referred to as the “Bollywood royalty, one of the most bankable stars”.
A notable aspect of Ranbir Kapoor’s career graph is that his flops are rarely attributed to his shortcomings. Unlike many mainstream actors, especially the Khans, who often face scrutiny when their films underperform, Kapoor has not faced the same level of criticism for his less successful projects. Despite his films tanking, his performances have frequently received praise.
For instance, in Shimit Amin’s Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, a drama about a Sikh boy’s aspirations in sales, Kapoor’s portrayal was lauded by film critic Mayank Shekhar as “astonishingly sincere,” though the film struggled at the box office. Similarly, in Anjaana Anjaani, a comedy-drama about two strangers contemplating suicide on New Year’s Eve, the film was a moderate financial success but received mixed reviews. Rajeev Masand noted that Kapoor “struggles with a badly-defined role,” and Anupama Chopra—then writing for NDTV—remarked that despite Kapoor’s efforts, including frequent shirtless scenes, he could not salvage the film’s lackluster reception.
Leveraging Toxic Masculinity
The period between 2014 and 2018 was challenging for Ranbir Kapoor, as many of his films struggled at the box office. Notable disappointments during this time included Roy (2015), Bombay Velvet (2015), and Jagga Jasoos (2017). His films were faltering, and Ranbir sought to break away from his established on-screen image. Shamshera, a period action film, was the first attempt in the pipeline. Ranbir portrayed a member of the Khameran tribe whom the British suppressed. The film opened to negative reviews.
Animal, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga (of Kabir Singh fame), was the next big project that helped Ranbir rebrand himself as the next big action star. The film poster reads ‘Superstar Ranbir Kapoor.’ Animal further cemented Kapoor’s star persona in the Hindi film industry. In the film, he portrays Ranvijay Singh, the emotionally troubled son of a wealthy industrialist. Ranbir took on the role of a violent character with a troubled relationship with his father. The film sparked cultural debates about Ranbir’s character, its moral dilemmas, and its potential cultural impact owing to its violent and misogynistic elements.
An opinion piece by Debdutta Chakraborty in The Print heavily criticized both the film Animal and Ranbir Kapoor’s portrayal of ‘daddy issues.’ Chakraborty argued that Kapoor’s filmography often features characters with troubled father-son relationships, leading these characters to become unruly, deviant, or unhinged. While films like Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani dealt with these issues in a more personal context, Animal expands this dynamic to a global scale.
The term “daddy issues” is often gendered in pop culture, typically describing women seeking dominant, macho partners. However, Animal challenges this notion by presenting an alpha male character who glamorizes the darker, more violent aspects of ‘daddy issues’ rather than addressing them constructively. While Kapoor quickly distanced himself from the persona he portrayed, stating, “It is just a film,” he expressed frustration over how it was received.
In a podcast with Nikhil Kamath, founder of Zerodha, Kapoor argued that social media’s need for sensational content led to Animal being labeled as misogynistic, overshadowing the hard work put into the film. He also acknowledged that he needed a film like Animal to stop playing the “good boy” characters he was tired of portraying. He reversed the discourse by stating that the film started a pertinent conversation on toxic masculinity.
Despite a series of box office disappointments before that, his contemporary relevance is attributed to his efforts to appeal to a broader cinema-going audience. Animal represents Kapoor’s earnest attempt to re-capture public attention and provoke strong reactions from cinema-going audiences—particularly men—in response to a realization that even negative publicity can be beneficial. Kapoor has attempted to revitalize his career and reignite his presence in the industry by aiming to stir the audience and generate buzz. Vanga, in this regard, was merely a crutch.
The film’s release was preceded by Ranbir’s wedding to Alia Bhatt, another prominent actor in the industry. Both events have significantly shaped his contemporary stardom; even under scrutiny, his work continues to garner praise and perform well at the box office. His character in Animal further solidified Ranbir Kapoor’s public image, shaped by his videos and media presence, particularly involving his wife.
Beyond his film work, Kapoor has recently made headlines primarily due to his remarks about Bhatt. The controversy began during a live session when Alia Bhatt revealed that she had removed her lipstick at Kapoor’s request. Additionally, during the promotion of Brahmastra, Kapoor drew attention with another live session comment, where he remarked, “I can see somebody has phailoed [gained weight],” while pointing at Bhatt’s baby bump. These incidents have contributed to the ongoing public interest in their personal lives, making Ranbir a hot social media topic despite not having any personal accounts.
Twitter, in particular, has seen a trend where users often indulge in discourse, discussing him as a “red flag” by scrutinizing his past interviews and appearances on various shows. For instance, old interview clips wherein Kapoor is seen being dismissive towards his former girlfriend Katrina Kaif and making insensitive remarks about Anushka Sharma’s anxiety during a chat show have further fuelled the row. These instances highlight what many perceive as his tone-deafness and lack of respect for female co-stars. Today, Ranbir happens to be the poster boy for all the action, the drama, and the emotional turmoil that men go through.
A Feminism in India article called Ranbir’s fame “illusory stardom,” explaining how he achieved this feat because the stage was set for him by an industry that was keen on making an icon. While the article does make relevant points about the power of his so-called “non-existent PR”, it negates the power of his performance.
In his text Devotion and Defiance in Fan Activity, SV Srinivas discusses how a star’s stardom can become so iconic that it is reflected materially among fans—through shrines, comics, and T-shirts. For Ranbir Kapoor, however, his stardom is primarily manifested through the resonance of his audience in the diverse roles he has portrayed. His ability to embody a range of characters allows people to connect more with his on-screen personas than with him as an individual. For example, his role as Ved in Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha has garnered a cult following among corporate workers who aspire to be artists. Similarly, Bunny from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani appeals to boys who are travel enthusiasts and self-described nomads.
Nevertheless, while he has found deep connections and significant resonance among male audiences, he has yet to portray a character that equally appeals to a broader spectrum like his contemporaries–such as Vicky Kaushal,Rajkummar Rao—have.
Conclusion
As one of the leading figures in the contemporary Hindi film industry, Ranbir Kapoor’s trajectory serves as a compelling illustration of the dynamics involved in elevating an actor to stardom. His talent is indisputable; however, an analysis of his film choices reveals a consistent pattern aimed at reinforcing his identity as a star of action and masala films. This strategic selection caters to the demographics of the audience that predominantly frequents theaters. Concurrently, his relationships with female co-stars introduce complexities that challenge the perception of his identity and persona which further highlight the importance of an efficient PR mechanism.
In today’s times, when films are sold by virtue of the male actor, the star, it becomes pertinent for us to understand the very constructed image of those we see onscreen; and in fact be critical of them even more.
Article Courtesy of Anjani Chadha
Feature Image Credit of Ranbir Kapoor via MissMalini
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