Bollywood's Current Superstar

RANVEER SINGH - BOLLYWOOD'S CURRENT SUPERSTAR 

"Apna time aayega". The catchphrase from Ranveer Singh's new film, ‘Gully Boy’, is an accurate summary of his career. The boy who broke into the movies in 2010, with the rom com ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’, did win hearts but people were not entirely convinced.

The next few years weren't easy. With box-office flops such as ‘Kill Dil’, ‘Lootera’ and ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’, people had started to slot Ranveer in the Bollywood mid-card. "He's nothing special, just another one of the many" they said.

Then came 2015, the year that changed it all. With stellar performances in Zoya Akthar’s, ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, Ranveer was once again the talk of the town. He showed his pedigree with two diverse roles and people were raving about his talent. People were expecting great things but were left slightly disappointed in 2016 as he gave an average performance in ‘Befikre’, which seemed like a detox film for him after his performance in Bajirao. 2017 followed suit as it was a year where the controversy over one of his movies created more buzz than any of his movies.

2018, as a year, saw the fall of many big actors. Shahrukh, Salman, Aamir and Amitabh, all tanked at the box office. However, there was one man who came out of it with an enhanced stock, Ranveer Singh. His savage and monster like performance in ‘Padmaavat’ followed by his portrayal of the quintessential Bollywood hero in Rohit Shetty’s “Simmba”, meant he was catapulted into the league of the most bankable stars in Bollywood.

However, even though Ranveer was brilliant in 2015 and 2018, there was talk that he only chose roles that required his natural energy. With ‘Gully Boy’, Ranveer has given, what is according to me his best performance on screen. This role required him to reign in what is naturally him and play a more sedate, restrained character. He had to put his message across through moments of silence and the emotions on his face rather than with loud screams and fast-paced action sequences. A few people were unsure whether he could pull of such a role, but he came through with flying colours. He showed the world that he is a multi-faceted actor who can play a number of different roles, not a one-dimensional one who can only do action.

The variety of characters he has portrayed, especially in the last 18 months, has impressed most people out there and have correctly earned him the title of a superstar. His next film, 83, an ode to Kapil Dev and his World Cup winning team will showcase yet another side to his acting as he aims to replicate one of the most unique bowling styles in international cricket.

As much as people criticise him for his unique sense of fashion and ‘in-your-face’ kind of attitude, one thing is for sure – between “Action” and “Cut”, when the director has given him a job, there is no doubting his talent and craft. He is the present and the foreseeable future and I think he has earned the right to say “APNA TIME AAGAYA”.