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When Ranbir Kapoor made an entry into the world of Cinema with his Bollywood debut Saawariya in 2007, he was instantly written off as a Star Kid, who would have it easy just because of his ‘Kapoor tag’. Although the film didn’t do quite well at the box office, those who watched the movie were all praises for the blue-eyed Kapoor boy. Girls went weak in the knees seeing his good looks, particularly the towel dropping act in the song, ‘Jabse Tere Naina’ and it didn’t take him time to become Bollywood’s very own dream boy.
Critics too saw a potential in him—a potential to become the next big star in Bollywood. And with the diverse roles and performances, the actor has been taking up over the years, he only seems to be justifying what they foresaw. While with movies like ‘Rocket Singh: Salesman of The Year’ and ‘Rajneeti’, the actor demonstrated his multifariousness, he positioned himself as the next big star of Bollywood with Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar and Anurag Basu’s Barfi. (ALSO READ: Ranbir Kapoor And Katrina Kaif Answer Questions By Some Kids And The Outcome Is Obviously Adorably Cute – Watch Video)
In the recent past, the soon to be 35-year-old actor, hasn’t really had a successful run at the box office, with his last big hit being Ayan Mukerji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani in 2013. The actor saw a hit in Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in October last year, following a series of failures at the box office like Besharam, Roy, Bombay Velvet. And now, with movies like Jagga Jasoos; Ayan Mukerji’s next Dragon and Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanjay Dutt biopic – this year and the next look quite positive. Despite the highs and the lows in his career, one thing is certain–Ranbir has never shied away from experimenting with his roles, seldom restricting himself to a particular genre. And perhaps, that’s what sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Ahead of his upcoming release, Jagga Jasoos opposite Katrina Kaif, on July 14, we tell you what puts Ranbir Kapoor in a league of his own as compared to his contemporaries.
Choice of films
Within a decade of his Bollywood career, Ranbir tried out a wide array of roles, never restricting himself to any particular genre, quite unlike his contemporaries. It was almost refreshing to see a young actor make such fresh choices at the beginning of his career. After Saawariya, he went on to do romantic comedies like ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ and ‘Anjana Anjaani’, which made him Bollywood’s next big heartthrob. The young Kapoor lad stunned everyone with his talent in Shimit Amin’s ‘Rocket Singh: Salesman of The Year’, for which he was widely appreciated. In another movie, ‘Wake Up Sid’ he essayed the role of a graduate in search for his interest and purpose in life, battling his own inner weaknesses. His portrayal as Sid was like what any college goer, thirsty to find his purpose would do, and it’s this real life resemblance is what made him so endearing. (ALSO READ: Ranbir Kapoor And Katrina Kaif Surprise School Students As They Promote Jagga Jasoos – View Pics)
Thereafter, he chose Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti essaying the role of ‘Arjun’ in contemporary Indian politics. His representation of a man deeply disappointed by his own family’s deed and embracing the benumbed and cunning world of politics gave us goosebumps. This benchmark that he set for himself was further broken by his performance in Rockstar where he enthralled the audience with his on screen character. Jordan’s intensity, rage and heartbreak was something Ranbir hadn’t portrayed before. With this role, not only was Ranbir able to break his boy next door image but also convert the cynics in the process. After his soul-stirring performance in Rockstar, he took up the light-hearted romance Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which gave the audience a slice of his boyish charm. With Tamasha and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, he set the bar higher. Although the movies failed to get the audience to empathise or feel for the characters, it definitely did offer brilliance in the name of Ranbir Kapoor.
Career Risks
Ranbir has a far-reaching emotional reservoir from which he absorbs a striking capability to draw distinctive performances, articulately designed to come across as affected and legitimate. He has proven his mettle as a responsible actor who has the ability to shoulder a film all by himself. That is why trade analyst Amod Mehra had once said about the actor that his stardom will remain unaffected by his recent flops. “He gets into the skin of the character, and dabbles in different genres with ease. He is a star, and even though his recent films failed to work, we can’t overlook his stardom,” he had said in an interview to a leading daily. Perhaps that’s why despite movies like Besharam and Bombay Velvet, his image as an actor par excellence has remained unaffected. (ALSO READ: Katrina Kaif Reacts To Ranbir Kapoor Calling Her A Non – Actor!)
The actor’s contemporary, Ranveer Singh, had once told DNA, that it’s the risks that Ranbir takes as an actor is what makes him the only actor from their generation worthy of competing with the big stars. “I really admire what he’s been able to achieve in five years. He’s in a position today where he’s picking the films that he believes in and they are becoming successful because he’s established his star value. He’s making very brave choices and his performances are all fabulous. I don’t think he’s ever been bad in any movie. What he’s been doing with his recent films is why I admire him even more. For all the young actors today he’s clearly the benchmark,” he said. Indeed, among all the young actors, it’s Ranbir Kapoor who is often seen competing with the bigger stars, keeping contemporaries like Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan or Sidharth Malhotra on their toes.
Unfraid of Box Office Failures
Ranbir’s choice of movies reflect what the actor strives for. For him, its always been about the audiences’ reaction and never much about the numbers his movies make. Perhaps that’s why the actor has been able to experiment the way he has. While Varun, Sidharth, Ranveer and Arjun have had quite a successful run at the box office with their movies, no other actor from his generation has tried out such diverse roles as him. His upcoming movies like Jagga Jasoos and Sanjay Dutt’s biopic, are also movies which are very different from one another, leave alone from the rest of the movies he has done till date. And while it still remains to be seen how they perform at the Box Office, its certain that with these RK will set the bar higher as an actor. (ALSO READ: Ranbir Kapoor And Katrina Kaif Were Inseparable In Their Recent Jagga Jasoos Promotions, What’s Cooking?)
Right from being a star who doesn’t like being type cast in any particular role, who enjoys taking risks head on and who loves experimenting with his on-screen characters, Ranbir Kapoor proves time and again why he is out of the league of his contemporaries.
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