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Happy birthday, Ranbir!
'The screen bursts with appreciation at his slightest gesture and spins in joy over his finest feat.' (The Jagga Jasoos review)
'A master of segues and wild improvisations.' (The Tamasha review)
'Far ahead of his immediate colleagues and in direct contention with the Khans, in bent if not box office.' (The Rockstar review)
'He's a versatile, instinctive actor working on roles that are much harder than they look.' (The Rocket Singh review)
'There's positive, there's comparative, there's superlative and there's Ranbir Kapoor.' (The Barfi! review)
Although his career is marked with glowing reviews of his work, Ranbir Kapoor made his debut on a rather unfavourable note in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's soulless Saawariya.
The film failed but Neetu and Rishi Kapoor's son did not.
More than his famous lineage or fabulous face, his calibre dazzled -- and it would be acknowledged and adored when better films followed.
One of the finest actors of his generation, Ranbir's artistry is greater than the box-office obsessed care to appreciate. His choice of upcoming films -- a Sanjay Dutt biopic and Dragon, a superhero vehicle, gives us reason to believe he'll keep delivering on that promise.
On his 35th birthday, here's our pick of 10 of his best performances. Vote for your favourite below.
Rockstar
Ranbir's electrifying emotional strength powers his constant state of rebellion as he discovers the pinch of heartbreak and purity of music in Imtiaz Ali's turbulent study of a bruised soul.
It's an exhaustively intense, instinctive depiction of a forlorn journey that begins in a gauche lad's unrequited romance and culminates in a sought-after musician's volatile outbursts.
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
In Shimit Amin's underrated gem, Ranbir simply vanishes into the skin of an upright Sardar determined to do business the clean way.
The actor packs in such an effortless blend of simplicity, sincerity and spunk into his performance that you might not even notice the thought put into it.
Barfi!
Ranbir's comic effervescence turn his deaf and mute titular character's limitations into an advantage, enlivening the silver screen and endearing the audience in Anurag Basu's 'inspired' celebration of life.
Except there's more to the role than horseplay, one that's amply demonstrated in his tender portrait of unconditional caring.
Tamasha
Kapoor Jr delivers yet another ace under Imtiaz Ali's keen eye in their most accomplished work together.
What appears to be charming fluff at first belies a history of supressed agony.
Conveying the bottled-up angst of his Ved struggling with romance and the rat race, Ranbir hits you hard with his strong bouts of irrational behaviour that are both a scream of dissent and a cry for help.
Jagga Jasoos
One of the rare actors besides Aamir Khan to pass off as a schoolboy in his 30s, Ranbir's bespectacled enthusiasm and adorable curiosity in and as Jagga Jasoos is striking in its whimsical humour and flawless timing.
As the singing stutterer in Basu's wayward musical, he exudes endless stamina and boyish ardour to crack the crazy case of his missing dad in ways that make you care.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Clingy, charming, and childish -- the love-struck, friend-zoned Ayan embraces the cons of one-sided affection in Ranbir's compelling illustration of complicated love.
Given its director Karan Johar's melodramatic impulses, things could get dangerously sloppy but Ranbir is nothing if not a master of nuances. Under him, Ayan emerges as heartbreakingly fragile.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
A friend who's all there, a boyfriend who's not quite there and a son who's not at all there, Ranbir plays willing wanderer and a man of many moods in pal Ayan Mukerji's sophomore effort.
It's delightful to witness how his movie star charisma and never-trying-too-hard talent elevate Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani from a run-of-the-mill confection to a fun watch.
Wake Up Sid
There's no denying Ranbir Kapoor's zing. But the chilled-out, unflustered facet of his personality is equally attractive.
Ayan Mukerji focuses on this side to put together the coming-of-age of a lazy, irresponsible man-child in Wake Up Sid. The upshot is a fresh, winsome delivery.
Raajneeti
Ranbir is a different shade of subdued for Prakash Jha's Mahabharata-inspired political drama, Raajneeti.
As the shrewd mastermind not quiet averse to manipulations in order to keep his family's head held high, he is a delicious mix of danger and distrust.
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Ranbir's willingness for high jinks not only syncs with Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani's slapstick aesthetics, but also reveals his efficiency at broad comedy.
It'll be great to see the star as Hindi cinema's last word on comedy if his long-delayed Kishore Kumar biopic ever takes off.
