Pride Of The Jungle

Ranveer Singh ruled the Box Office in the last cinematic year, playing the title role of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao, in ace director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grandiose magnum opus Bajirao Mastani. His shaved head and luxuriant long moustache had become his style statement for a whole year whilst he shot for the film. And that was a year that saw him making his presence felt in a big way. Commercials, awards, relationship goals, Ranveer has been hard at it and giving it his all. Little wonder then that he soared up the charts in tinsel town, both in terms of his credibility as an actor, his public image, as well as earned himself brownie points for being the most devoted boyfriend in Bollywood (to his lady love, the exquisite Deepika Padukone). Yes, Ranveer wore his heart on his sleeve the whole time, something only brave-hearts would do. And of course, he swept the awards season across events, to walk away with prized trophies and statuettes of all sizes and shapes.

- Suguna Sundaram

Ranveer Singh

Ranveer, over the years, has proven himself to be single minded in his application to his craft. Not the handsomest of actors, this lad wins anyway because he has that elusive and intangible quality ‘x’ that is the gift of but a few - the chosen few that make it to stardom, beyond being actors of great skill and talent. And he works hard to hone his consummate talent even further, going to extreme lengths even, that are possibly only compensated by the heights he scales. Plus, his charm is unbeatable - man or woman, one cannot be indifferent to it. When Ranveer Singh looks at you, he gives you the singular impression that you are the only one that exists, that the word around has ceased to exist or does not matter. You are sold immediately.

After a mere half decade in the industry, Ranvir has moulded himself into a presence, that on and off screen, cannot be ignored or put aside casually. That means, he’s chased by an industry that seeks to affiliate with his talent and Box Office command, as well as by a crazy number of fans, needless to say, female mostly, increasing that same ticket counter jingle… Here’s a look at the making of easily one of the most popular current-day stars and actors - ten steps or less to super stardom, and the journey in between…

Of Sindhi origin, Ranveer Singh (Bhavnani) swaggered into the Hindi film industry a mere six years ago, as an unknown, with a lead role in Band Baaja Baraat, a rom-com, under the Yash Raj Film banner. Playing a typical small-town to Delhi city guy, Bittoo Sharma, involved in the ‘bijness’ of wedding planning, Ranveer made quite an impact in his first film, paired with Anushka Sharma, a floundering but relative newbie then, and the film garnered both critical praise for him, as well as popularity and commercial success. And yes, debutant awards that year for him.