Ranbir Kapoor’s journey in Hindi cinema has been shaped by an interesting choice of roles. Rather than building his career around one particular image, he has moved between coming-of-age stories, romance, comedy, musical dramas, biopics, fantasy and action, allowing each phase of his career to bring something different.
His debut came with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya in 2007. He soon followed it with films that established his range, from the coming-of-age charm of Wake Up Sid and the comedy of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani to the grounded character in Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. Raajneeti then took him into a more serious political drama.
Rockstar became one of the defining films of his early career. As Janardhan “Jordan”, Ranbir played a musician whose ambition, love and emotional turmoil gradually transform him. The performance earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Barfi! brought another major shift, with Ranbir playing a cheerful deaf and mute man through a performance driven largely by expressions and physicality. He won another Filmfare Best Actor award for the film.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Tamasha continued his association with characters dealing with ambition, relationships and identity. Sanju took that experimentation into the real-life space, with Ranbir portraying Sanjay Dutt across different stages of his life. His physical transformation and attention to Dutt’s mannerisms became major talking points, while the performance earned him another Filmfare Best Actor award.
His commercial journey reached another significant phase with Brahmāstra, followed by Animal, which presented him in a much darker and physically demanding action role. The film became his highest-grossing release and earned him his fourth Filmfare Best Actor award, adding another major commercial milestone to his career.
Across his career, Ranbir has received seven Filmfare Awards, including recognition for his debut and performances in Rockstar, Barfi!, Sanju and Animal, along with Critics’ Best Actor recognition associated with Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year.
What makes his next phase particularly interesting is the contrast between the characters waiting for him. In Ramayana, Ranbir steps into the role of Lord Rama, a character whose journey is built around duty, sacrifice, dignity and moral choices. The makers’ first look has already introduced his portrayal of Rama, giving audiences an early glimpse of a role that is very different from his recent action-oriented image.
Love & War takes him into another completely different space. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, the period romantic drama places Ranbir in a world of love and conflict. The film is currently scheduled for January 2027, following Ramayana: Part I.
Then there is Brahmāstra Part Two: Dev, where Ranbir returns to the fantasy universe as Shiva. The sequel is built around the character of Dev, adding another layer to the mythology introduced in the first film. The project is currently listed for 2027.
Animal Park could take Ranbir back into the darker world he entered with Animal, but with an even bigger challenge. Ranbir has revealed that he will play two characters in the sequel, with the story expected to continue from where the first film ended. The project is currently expected to begin production later, making it a longer-term addition to his lineup.
As Ranbir Kapoor celebrates his birthday, these upcoming roles show how dramatically his screen journey continues to shift. From playing Rama in an epic mythology to returning to the Animal universe in dual roles, his next phase once again places him in characters that are worlds apart from one another.
From Saawariya to his upcoming projects, Ranbir Kapoor’s career has grown through contrasting roles and changing cinematic worlds. That evolution remains one of the defining aspects of his journey in Hindi cinema.