Ranveer Singh - Biography

Introduction

Ranveer Singh is a famous Bollywood actor and he has been in the film industry for a long time. Ranveer Singh is nicknamed by many of his fans “PowerHouse” because of his electrifying and energetic appeal. Ranveer Singh completed his college in Indiana, United States and then he came back to India, Ranveer Singh’s first Bollywood movie was Band Baaja Baaraat. This debut movie of his was a great romantic comedy and it turned out to be a perfect break for his career.

Ranveer Singh is a method actor and applies real work and patience to prepare for his every role.

There are many young celebrities in Bollywood but there are only a few who can match the energy level that Ranveer Singh brings to the table. His on-screen presence has made him bag some iconic and historic roles which made him establish himself as a prominent face of Bollywood.

Ranveer Singh has become one of the highest-paid Bollywood actors and he is getting enlisted in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list.

Early Life and Family

Ranveer Singh’s real name is Ranveer Singh Bhavnani and he hails from a Sindhi Sikh family in Mumbai. Ranveer Singh has a great family ancestry as his paternal grandmother was Chanda Burke who was a character actress. Ranveer Singh is also the second cousin of Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor.

Ranveer Singh always had an aspiration to become an actor. He took participation in various plays and dramas during his school and also focused on creative writing. Ranveer Singh went to the United States for college and he decided to take acting classes.

Ranveer Singh returned to Mumbai after his studies in the United States and he started to pursue advertising as a copywriter. Ranveer worked in agencies like O&M and J. Walter Thompson. Ranveer also started to work as an assistant director and then he continued to pursue his dream of acting.

Career

Starting Years (2010-2014)

Ranveer Singh bagged the audition to play the main character in the Yash Raj Productions film in 2010. Ranveer played the role of a typical Delhi boy and made everyone chuckle with his unique and brilliant comedy timing. Ranveer was praised for his role in this debut film of his. He also received a Filmfare Award for his role.

Ranveer Singh became the face of the romantic comedy genre after his debut hit. His second film was Ladies vs Ricky Bahl which again co-starred Anushka Sharma and was directed by Maneesh Sharma, who also directed his debut movie. Ranveer Singh tried something new and tried a more diverse acting style by playing various characters in this movie. Ladies vs Ricky Bahl was not that much of a hit but it turned out to be an average movie.

Ranveer Singh then bagged a role in a romantic film by Vikramaditya Motwane in 2013 titled Lootera. This movie also co-starred Sonakshi Sinha who was also an upcoming actress at that time. This movie was a slow and hard-hitting one and Ranveer Singh portrayed beautifully the character of a con man that was assigned to him. Even though Lootera couldn’t perform well in terms of financial numbers but it got Ranveer recognition among the sensible movie watchers of Bollywood and also the critics.

The next movie for Ranveer Singh was a big project as it was with an acclaimed director of Bollywood named Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Ranveer co-starred with Deepika Padukone in this film,who was an established actress at that time. The name of the film was Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela and it was the adaption of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The reason that Ranveer was considered for this role was that Sanjay Leela Bhansali got impressed by his role in the debut film Band Baaja Baaraat. Ranveer’s performance in Golyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela was exceptional and it made all the critics turn their heads toward his acting skills. Ranveer packed a lot of energy into his character and made the picture an entertaining one. This film was the biggest success for Ranveer Singh’s career at that point and it also turned out to be a box-office giant by generating a revenue of Rs. 2.02 billion.

Ranveer Singh was creating big moves in Bollywood films by 2014. It was the time of Bollywood when every established actor was doing an action film to make their mark amongst the fans and Ranveer also followed this trend. He accompanied Arjun Kapoor and starred in a period action-drama titled Gunday. It was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. This movie was loaded with stars, it had the best Bollywood actress of that time, which was Priyanka Chopra and it also starred Mr. Versatile, i.e. Late Irrfan Khan. Ranveer’s screen presence was appreciated by the fans and critics. Ranveer and Arjun’s on-screen brotherhood left a mark on the hearts of many youngsters. It was a commercial success for Ranveer as it had a whopping opening of Rs. 1 billion.

Ranveer Singh then portrayed the role of a gangster in a crime drama named Kill Dil. This film co-starred Parineeti Chopra and Ali Zafar. This film was a blunder and it turned out to be a major setback in Ranveer’s career.

Years as an Established Actor (2015-2019)

In 2015, Ranveer bagged a role in the hilarious comedy-drama named Dil Dhadakne Do. It was produced by the famous Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar and was directed by his sister Zoya Akhtar, Farhan even had a cameo in the film. Dil Dhadakne Do was a star-studded film as it had Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, and Priyanka Chopra. Ranveer’s performance was appreciated by critics and movie lovers. The film had a unique approach to it and it showed insight into the life of a rich dysfunctional family which struggles to keep emotional connections alive while striving to keep a charming persona for the outside world. The film was not a commercial success but it was definitely a new approach to ideas in Indian Cinema and it also opened a lot of parameters in Ranveer’s career.

The next role by Ranveer was a big one as he again decided to act under the direction of Sanjay Leela Bhansali in a romance period drama named Bajirao Mastani. It starred Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone. In this film, Ranveer played Bajirao I who is very prominent in Maharashtra history. The role had a lot of pressure on Ranveer, he prepared for it in a very intensive way by shaving his hair and locking himself in a hotel room for three whole weeks. Bajirao Mastani turned out to be a huge hit. Every character portrayed in the movie was well-fit. It turned out to be one of the highest commercially successful Indian movies as it earned Rs. 3.5 billion. Ranveer was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Ranveer tried again to step foot in Romantic- Comedy genre which was his forte since the beginning of his career. He appeared in a film named Befikre which starred the new and upcoming actress of that time named Vaani Kapoor. Befikre was a big project as it was directed by Aditya Chopra. Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor tried a lot of new things in this movie but it was not received that well by the audience and the movie failed to perform well.

Ranveer took a break for a year and then came back to play one of the most iconic characters to be ever played by any Indian Actor. He played Alauddin Khilji, who was a ruthless Muslim King, in a period drama epic named Padmaavat which was released in 2018 after a long delay. This film was the third film Ranveer did with the very talented director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Padmaavat had a very strong star cast of Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, and other notable actors. Padmaavat was one of the most controversial Bollywood movies of all time. Various cult Hindu groups and Right-Wing Hindu associations revolted against the release of this film. They all claimed that this film distorted a lot of historical facts. There were a lot of changes made to the movie before making its final cut, even the name of the movie was changed from “Padmavati” to “Padmaavat”. The conflict of interest still didn’t subside and the cast and crew of the movie used to receive death threats. Padmaavat was the most expensive movie of all time with a whopping budget of Rs. 2 billion. Padmaavat didn’t disappoint at the box office and it grossed around Rs. 5.7 billion, which made it a huge commercial success and one of the biggest hits in the career of Ranveer Singh. This role of Allaudin Khilji made him bag the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

At the end of 2018, Ranveer Singh appeared in his debut film with Rohit Shetty. Rohit is one of the finest action directors in Bollywood. The movie was named Simmba and it was based on Temper, which is a very hit Telugu movie. The film starred Sara Ali Khan and  Sonu Sood. This movie was Ranveer’s first project with Karan Johar, who co-produced Simmba. Simmba was a usual and generic action film that is made in Bollywood a lot, but still, it earned a lot commercially. It was the second top earning of Ranveer Singh of 2018 with a whopping box-office collection of Rs. 4 billion.

Ranveer Singh re-united with the director of Dil Dhadakne Do, i.e. Zoya Akhtar in 2019 by appearing in a musically inspired inspirational project named Gully Boy. This movie was inspired by two underground street rappers from Mumbai City, Divine and Naezy. Ranveer prepared a lot to play this character and he spent a lot of time with Divine and Naezy. This film was very unique and the special thing about this movie was that it had a very good purpose, which was to bring attention to India’s underground rap music. The movie was an instant hit amongst the critics and it even got a chance to get premiered at 69^th Berlin International Film Festival. Gully Boy also received 13 Filmfare Awards, which made it the highest Filmfare award-winning movie.

Career from 2020 till present

Ranveer Singh got into television for the first time in 2021 by hosting a game show which went by the name of The Big Picture, this show lasted for one whole season and got decent TRP ratings.

Ranveer played a long cameo as Simmba in Sooryavanshi which was a film directed by Rohit Shetty in 2021 and starred Superstar Akshay Kumar. The role played by him in this extended cameo was packed with action scenes and comedy punchlines.

Ranveer Singh then went on to play an iconic character in a biopic directed by Kabir Khan. The movie was named 83 and it was based on the historic win by India in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Ranveer plays the character of the legendary cricketer Kapil Dev who was the captain and the best player of the Indian Cricket Team in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. This film was originally planned to be released in 2020 but it got delayed again and again because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutting down of theatres. After this film was finally released, it received a lot of positive reviews from fans and critics. Ranveer did a great job in portraying Kapil Dev in this film. The film was unable to perform well at the box office but it enabled Ranveer to bag his third Filmfare Award.

Ranveer started 2022 with a film named Jayeshbhai Jordaar, it was a comedy project about female infanticide in India which is a very prevailing issue. Ranveer tried to blend into his character for this film which he had done previously for many projects. Despite all the efforts and social goodwill messages, the movie failed to perform well at the box office.

Ranveer Singh is reuniting with Rohit Shetty for a film named Cirkus which is set to be released in 2022 and Ranveer is playing double roles in this project.

Ranveer Singh is also slated to appear in a film with Alia Bhatt who was also his co-star in Gully Boy. The movie is named Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, which is a romantic comedy and it is directed by Karan Johar.

Personal Life and Social Image

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone started dating each other in 2012 when they starred opposite each other in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. They both married each other in a private ceremony in 2018 that took place in Lake Como, Italy. Their marriage was a blend of a lot of cultures and traditional customs which involved Konkani, Hindu, and Sikh customs. This marriage was a long and awaited one for all the fans of Ranveer and Deepika and when it finally happened, it was all over the news channels and social media.

Ranveer Singh has also been a regular inductee in every year’s Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 List since 2012. Ranveer reached his highest ranking in 2019 when he was placed at the ninth rank by Forbes India. Also, in 2019 Forbes India Magazine claimed that the estimated annual earnings of Ranveer Singh is around Rs. 1.18 billion. This whopping number placed him in the fifth rank in the Highest Paid Actors List in India.

GQ Magazine also featured Ranveer Singh by naming him on their list of the 50 most influential young Indians of 2017 and then again in 2019. Ranveer was also featured by India Today as one of the 50 most powerful people in India.

Ranveer Singh is also a music lover and in 2019 he started his record label which aimed to promote all the local and underground musicians that receive very less attention and are talented. The name of his record label is IncInk.

Ranveer Singh is also a brand ambassador for various notable brands because of his charm amongst the youth and the power-packed energy which he brings to the camera. Some of the famous brands that Ranveer endorses are Adidas, Jack & Jones, Thumbs Up, and Chings. Ranveer Singh’s estimated brand value in 2019 was 63 million US Dollars which was the fourth-highest amongst Indian Celebrities at that time. In 2022, he is the second-highest Indian Celebrity in terms of brand value which is estimated to be around 158.3 million US Dollars.

Ranveer Singh appeared in a very controversial nude photoshoot for the famous Paper Magazine. This photoshoot raised a lot of questions and it was a very hot topic at that time. People all over the Internet and Social media debated about the validity of this photoshoot. A lot of people claimed it to be offensive and they took it in a bad taste. After one month after this controversial photoshoot, Ranveer was summoned by Mumbai Police because of several police complaints. A lot of these police complaints were from female activists.

Awards and Accolades

Ranveer Singh has played a lot of exceptional and intricate roles in his career and it has always been well received by the fans and the critics. This wide reception of his work has made him win a lot of honors in his career.

The detailed list of all such awards is as follows:

Conclusion

Ranveer Singh’s career is a perfect example that if anyone has a true passion for anything then he/ she must endure all the hardships and hurdles to follow that passion. Ranveer always had a passion for acting and he tried his best and made his mark. He showed the world right from the beginning that he is meant to stay and he is serious about it. Every character played by him was well prepared and he put in a lot of work to train himself and his body to play any certain character. The younger generation should follow Ranveer Singh because he shows how to be energetic and impulsive along with doing the right thing.

In the end, I just want to say that Ranveer Singh is not just limited to being an actor, he is also a pride of our country and is one of the top talents and a huge role model for a lot of people.