A decade of Ranveer Singh – the actor, the human and beyond

There is no dearth of struggle to stardom stories in the Indian film industry. Each newcomer is faced with the arduous task of either matching up to an existing celebrity’s aura or carve a niche in the industry. When Yash Raj Films announced signing up a newcomer for its venture Band Baaja Baaraat, the rumour mills started working overtime. The questions were often not about who is Ranveer Singh, but more an attempt to decipher, “Why Ranveer Singh”. 

To a delightful surprise, the critics and the box office, Ranveer was picked by critics for his spontaneity, energy and delivering surprises in the emotional scenes. Even as Ranveer enters his 10th year in the industry, the compliments stick to him. As his career progressed, more adjectives were added to the list – romantic, unpredictable, dependable and of course, unmissable. As an outsider to Hindi cinema, he has etched his name as an actor and a star. 

Anyone with an experience in the industry knows that it difficult to reach the top of the ladder; even more to stay on. The galleys of the industry are filled with stories of stars who were hoisted as change-makers and dropped unceremoniously as the few-film wonders. Ranveer could have been one on the list. A closer scrutiny of his filmography stands witness to his attempts to experiment and refine his works.

His box office success charts have cyclical ups and downs. Yet he has made concerted efforts to win over his critics and be an ‘bankable and approachable star’. Post the success of Band Baaja, came Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, which didn’t do as well as expected. Despite not so favourable response at the box office, he was appreciated. Then, after almost a two-year hiatus, Ranveer returned to the screen with Vikramditya Motwani’s Lootera. This was a different Ranveer, far from his USP of a flamboyant and romantic hero. The same year, he joined Sanjay Leela Bhansali for a take on the Romeo and Juliet. 

As Russian-American actor and director, Michael Chekhov, beautifully put it: “An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease.” The period of 2014 till January of 2015 dampened his success curve. From the brickbats for the roast to his selection of scripts such as Gunday and Kill Dil – his image and career both went through a rough patch. If we look back, this is the period when Ranveer experimented the most to chisel his on-and off-screen personality.  Since then, his choice of script has hardly faced a blip. 

So, what made Ranveer what he is today? Many give the credit to his talent and his choice of script. But more importantly, a facet of Ranveer that is seldom appreciated is his skill to be a people’s person.

He was amongst the first men from cinema to applaud women that have spoken up against abuse and harassment at the workplace, has been clear and consistent. He believes the movement has rapidly made men re-think their behaviour towards women, and has consistently supported it. And the people accepted it despite his lover-boy image. Ranveer stood in line for hours, interacting with fans and police to cast his vote. He also launched InkInc, his passion project and a music venture giving a platform showcase their talent to rappers and hip hoppers from across India. While, one may argue that at least a few of these are part of an elaborate PR exercise, his supporters maintain that this is what Ranveer is in real-life and that a charade cannot be sustained for long. 

There are several such instances people narrate where Ranveer came across as a star with no tantrums to mingle with his co-stars, media and even his fans. In an industry, which feeds on factions and fan-clubs, he has built roads with the Khan clubs, the prominent production banners, and even directors.

During the shoot of Simbaa, his co-start, Sauraabh Gokhaale, shared how Ranveer was the one to initiate an ice-break. Fearing how a star would react if he tried to speak, Sauraabh decided to keep a distance. However, to his surprise, Ranveer stood next to him and said, “You were picking up lot of weights in the gym yesterday and still we didn’t get a chance to speak. Hi, I am Ranveer Singh.” 

With Gully Boy becoming India’s official nomination for the Oscars, Ranveer’s hunger for good cinema and diverse content just goes on to show how the actor wants to push the envelope with every performance and role.

Karan Johar has now cast him in his upcoming historical magnum opus Takht, and Aditya Chopra who has worked extensively with SRK and Aamir Khan is teaming up with Ranveer for Jayeshbhai Jordaar. Kabir Khan is making 83 – a film that relives India winning the cricket world cup – has cast him as Kapil Dev, the captain of this Indian side. 

Whether you agree with his detractors or his supporters, you can’t ignore him. Only time will tell, how the people choose to remember him – The bearded guy, the enigma, or the star. It’s the persona that makes or breaks careers in this industry, and till now Ranveer has managed to keep the edge.

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