Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor
Kapoor at the finale of Indian Idol 6, 2012
Born	(1982-09-28) 28 September 1982 (age 30) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2007–present
Parents	Rishi Kapoor Neetu Singh

Ranbir Kapoor (born 28 September 1982^[1]) is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. Born to actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Kapoor began his career by assisting director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and later made his acting debut with the director's 2007 film Saawariya for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Kapoor later earned critical praise for his performances in Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year in 2009. These performances earned him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor, and he was later recognized for his role as an aspiring politician in the political thriller Raajneeti (2010). In 2012, Kapoor received his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the Imtiaz Ali-directed drama Rockstar, and his second award for his portrayal of a deaf-mute man in Barfi! (2012), which emerged as his biggest commercial success till date.^[2][3] According to Rediff, Kapoor has established himself as one of the leading contemporary actors of Hindi cinema.^[4]

[edit] Life and career

[edit] 1982–2006: Early life

Ranbir's parents are Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, His father is a Hindu Punjabi and his mother is a Sikh.^[5] His sister is Riddhima Kapoor Sahnai. He is the grandson of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor and nephew of actor Randhir Kapoor. Kapoor studied at Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, Mumbai. He had always been weak in academics and passed his tenth standard with 53.4%, for which his mother called him up and cried with joy over the phone for having passed his entire school life without failing a year, as no one in the Kapoor family had done so until then. He went on to pursue method acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.^[6][7]

Before starting off his career as an actor, Kapoor appeared in two short films: Passion to Love (2002), which was also directed by him, and India 1964 (2004). He later began working as an assistant with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where he was involved in the making of the film Black (2005).^[8]

[edit] 2007–10

Kapoor who initially had plans of becoming an actor was later cast by Bhansali in his next directional venture, Saawariya opposite newcomer Sonam Kapoor. The film failed to do well at the box office,^[9] though his performance was largely appreciated and he earned his first Filmfare award for Best Male Debut. In 2008, Kapoor starred in Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) alongside Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone. The film was a semi-hit at the box-office,^[10] and earned mixed reviews. Kapoor was praised for his performance, with Rajeev Masand noting that "Bachna Ae Haseeno is a showreel for the sheer talent of Ranbir Kapoor who blazes across the screen like a blinding light. He's got that indescribable star quality, and what's more he can act. At comedy, in the emotional scenes, and yes of course when he's dancing -- your eyes are transfixed on the screen when he's up there even in a passing shot."^[11]

In 2009, Kapoor appeared in three movies. His first release was Ayan Mukerji's Wake Up Sid, in which he portrayed the character of Siddharth Mehra, a spoiled and self-centered college student from Mumbai. Featured opposite Konkona Sen Sharma, the film was a critical and commercial success.^[12] Shrey Patnaik wrote, "Ranbir's Sid is a near-perfect portrait of the aimless young man searching for a direction in life. Ranbir handles the character's inner life with the effortlessness of a Sitar maestro twiddling with his instrument's strings to create a music that takes the audience to a world where the sounds suggest a harmony between art and life. In Wake Up Sid, Ranbir proves once and for all that he's the future of Hindi cinema."^[13] He next starred alongside Katrina Kaif in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. He portrayed the role of Prem Shankar Sharma. The film surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year.^[14] For his performances in these films, Kapoor received his first nominations for Filmfare Best Actor.

Following this, Kapoor appeared in Shimit Amin's drama Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. Kapoor's portrayal of Harpreet Singh Bedi attracted rave reviews, with one critic writing, "Ranbir brings to his part a whole lot of earnestness and heart. His natural and utterly contagious exuberance so much on display in his last two films Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is effortlessly curbed here."^[15] Upon release, the film received positive reviews by critics but was declared 'below average'.^[16] Kapoor's performance was critically acclaimed,

In 2010, he featured in Prakash Jha's multi-starrer political thriller Rajneeti. Made on budget of 60 crore (US$11 million),^[17] the film was released on June 4, 2010. It opened to positive reviews and was declared a "blockbuster".^[18] Kapoor's performance was well received, with critic Nikhat Kazmi concluding, "The film finally belongs to Ranbir Kapoor who perfects the art of minimalism – and literally grows before your eyes – as the simmering volcano that cannot be held back, once it erupts. He's as grey and soot-filled, as volcanoes go."^[19] In the same year, Kapoor appeared alongside Priyanka Chopra in Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and was a moderate box office success.^[18] Nonetheless, Kapoor was mostly praised for his performance, with Taran Adarsh commenting "Ranbir is an actor with an infinite range and his dedication to his work is evident in every film. I have often stated that he is the finest actor of his generation and the fact comes alive yet again as you watch him donning a new character in ANJAANA ANJAANI."^[20]

[edit] 2011–present

2011 saw Kapoor feature opposite newcomer Nargis Fakhri in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar. The film was produced by Eros International Ltd. along with Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. It follows the story of Janardhan Jakhar a.k.a. Jordan, who dreams of becoming a big rockstar. The shooting for Rockstar began in May 2010, and was released on 11 November 2011. Upon release, the film opened to a good response, and received positive to mixed reviews^[21] and grossed over Rs.1 billion worldwide^[22] In a review published by CNN-IBN, Rajeev Masand wrote: "Rockstar belongs to Ranbir Kapoor over everyone else. It is a riveting performance [...] and Ranbir roots it in the real. Watch how he seizes the stage in the "Sadda Haq" number and virtually makes the track his own, He also gave an excellent performance on the song "Naadan Parindey". For Ranbir alone, this film deserves a watch."^[23] The film earned Kapoor his first Best Actor award, as well as his second Best Actor (Critics) award at the 57th Filmfare Awards.

Kapoor with co-star Priyanka Chopra Promoting Barfi!

In 2012, Kapoor appeared in Anurag Basu's romantic comedy Barfi! alongside Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz. Cast as Murphy "Barfi" Johnson, a deaf-mute boy, Kapoor received rave reviews for his performance, earning him his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Taran Adarsh notes that "Ranbir's facial expressions and body language is the hallmark of the enterprise. The critical complement I can award to Ranbir's act is that it is truly convincing, heartrending and intelligent, all rolled into one dazzling result."^[24] Rajeev Masand adds "the film...belongs to our silent hero, and Ranbir Kapoor owns the part completely. Never turning Barfi into a caricature or a stereotype, Ranbir adds wonderful layers to this seemingly simple fellow, and once again proves why he is his only competition."^[25] The film opened to critical acclaim,^[26] and was a major commercial success, earning 175 crore (US$32 million) worldwide.^[27] The film was screened at the Busan International Film Festival,^[28] Marrakech International Film Festival^[29] and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 85th Academy Awards.^[30]

As of February 2013, Kapoor is scheduled to appear in Ayan Mukerji's romantic comedy Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani^[31] opposite ex-girlfriend Deepika Padukone, Abhinav Kashyap's Besharam^[32][33] alongside Pallavi Sharda, Vicky Singh's Roy^[34] opposite Jacqueline Fernandez, and Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet opposite Anushka Sharma.^[35]

[edit] In the media

Kapoor currently lives with his parents in Pali Hill in Mumbai, Maharashtra. In 2008, Kapoor co-hosted the 54th Filmfare Awards alongside Imran Khan; he was later chosen to co-host the 56th and 57th edition of the award ceremony alongside Imran Khan and Shah Rukh Khan respectively.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] See also

• List of Indian film actors

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ranbir Kapoor

• Ranbir Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database