Ranveer Singh

Established actor (2015–2019) Zoya Akhtar's ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), produced by and cameo-starring her brother Farhan Akhtar, featured Singh alongside Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah and Priyanka Chopra as the younger sibling of a dysfunctional Punjabi business family who aspires to become a pilot. Writing for Mumbai Mirror, Kunal Guha found Singh to be the "surprise element" of the film; he praised his "immaculate comic timing" and took note of his subtlety. Commercially, the film underperformed. He next reunited with Bhansali in the period romance Bajirao Mastani (2015), opposite Padukone and Chopra. He portrayed Bajirao I, for which he shaved his head and to prepare, he locked himself in a hotel room for 21 days. Raja Sen wrote that Singh "brings his character to life and does so with both machismo and grace", and commended him for his perfecting his character's gait and accent. The film earned to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films, and garnered Singh the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

In 2016, Singh starred in Aditya Chopra's comedy-romance Befikre opposite Vaani Kapoor. He played Dharam Gulati, a stand-up comic whose romantic liaisons with Kapoor's character leads to conflict between them. Set in Paris, Befikre marked the fourth project to be directed by Chopra. Singh performed a nude scene for it, a rare occurrence in an Indian film. Jay Weissberg of Variety found the film to be an "overly energetic twist on the old friends with benefits theme" and criticised Singh's "manic behavior". It underperformed at the box office.

After a year-long absence from the screen, Singh portrayed Alauddin Khilji, as a ruthless Muslim king, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmaavat (2018), co-starring Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, which marked his third collaboration with Bhansali and Padukone. Right-wing Hindu groups speculated that the film distorted historical facts and issued violent threats against the cast and crew. The film's release was deferred and was allowed for exhibition after several modifications were made to it. Ankur Pathak of HuffPost criticised the film's misogynistic and regressive themes, but praised Singh for his "astute brilliance" in depicting Khilji's bisexuality. Rajeev Masand opined that he "plays the part with the sort of grotesque flamboyance that makes it hard to look at anyone or anything else when he's on the screen". Padmaavats production budget of made it the most expensive Hindi film ever made at that time. With a worldwide gross of over , it became Singh's highest-grossing release and among India cinema's biggest grossers. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor (shared with Ayushmann Khurrana for Andhadhun) and gained a Best Actor nomination at the ceremony.

At the end of the same year, Singh played the titular corrupt policeman in Rohit Shetty's action comedy Simmba, based on the Telugu film Temper (2015), co-starring Sara Ali Khan and Sonu Sood, which marked his first collaboration with filmmaker Karan Johar, who co-produced the film with Shetty. Despite disliking the film, Uday Bhatia of Mint credited Singh for playing his "cardboard creation" of a character with an "underlying sweetness that renders it more winsome than the humorless masculinity of Devgn's Singham". With worldwide earnings of , Simmba emerged as Singh's second top-earning Indian film of 2018.

Singh reteamed with Zoya Akhtar on Gully Boy (2019), a musical inspired by the life of the street rappers Divine and Naezy. Singh found little in common with his character of a poor man who aspires to become a rapper, and in preparation he underwent acting workshops and spent time with both Divine and Naezy. He performed his own rap songs and was pleased that the film brought attention to India's underground music scene. The film premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter commended him for displaying a "pleasingly full emotional range that extends to drama and hip-hop" and writing for Film Companion, Baradwaj Rangan praised his ghetto accent and found his understated performance to be a "superb show reel for his range". Gully Boy won a record 13 Filmfare Awards, and Singh received another Best Actor award.

Career fluctuations and Dhurandhar (2020–present)

In 2021, Singh hosted the television game show The Big Picture, which aired on Colors TV. He reprised his role as Simmba in Shetty's action film Sooryavanshi in an extended cameo. Singh then portrayed cricketer Kapil Dev in Kabir Khan's 83, a sports film based on the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Initially planned for a 2020 release, 83 was delayed several times owing to casting and pre-production that postponed filming, and later due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Reviews for the film were positive, with praise for Singh's portrayal of Dev. The film failed to recoup its large investment. Singh's performance won him his third Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Singh's first film release of 2022 was Jayeshbhai Jordaar, a satire about female infanticide in India. Anna M.M. Vetticad of Firstpost disliked the film but commended him for "transform[ing] his body, body language and demeanour, his posture, his walk, his gestures and his entire personality" for the part, similar to how he had "metamorphosed" to play Dev in 83. Following this, both he and Varun Sharma played dual roles of identical pairs of twin brothers separated at birth in Shetty's ensemble comedy Cirkus (2022), a remake of the 1982 film Angoor, which was based on William Shakespeare's play Comedy of Errors. In a scathing review, Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in dismissed Singh's performance as "consistently lacklustre". Both Jayeshbhai Jordar and Cirkus were commercially unsuccessful.

In 2023, Singh starred in Karan Johar's romantic comedy Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, opposite Alia Bhatt. Johar based the character of Rocky on gym rat influencers from West Delhi; in preparation, Singh spent time with one such influencer named Yuvraj Dua, learning his dialect and mannerisms. He also trained in Kathak for a sequence in which he had to dance to "Dola Re Dola". Mayank Shekhar believed that he "owns this role like nothing short of an inimitable rock-star", while Anupama Chopra wrote that he "combines the charm offensive with moments of vulnerability and tears with great aplomb". Earning over worldwide, it emerged as one of the year's highest-grossing Hindi films. He received another Best Actor nomination at Filmfare. Singh once again played Simmba in Shetty's action sequel Singham Again (2024), alongside an ensemble cast. Despite disliking the film, NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee considered Singh to be its "brightest spark" and commended his comic timing. Singham Again had modest box-office returns on its high production budget. left

Singh headlined Dhurandhar (2025) and its sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026), an action thriller duology directed by Aditya Dhar. Set against the backdrop of major events such as the Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he portrayed an undercover intelligence operative stationed in Pakistan under a false identity. With runtimes of 214 and 229 minutes respectively, the films are among the longest Indian productions ever made. In a mixed review of the first instalment for The Hindu, Anuj Kumar praised Singh's physical transformation but felt that his "bravura and brooding intensity" became monotonous over the extended runtime, particularly when sharing scenes with co-star Akshaye Khanna's "charismatic presence". Reviewing the second instalment, Shomini Sen of WION noted that while the first film relegated Singh to the periphery, Dhurandhar: The Revenge afforded him greater prominence, allowing him to "hold the attention from start to finish" with "one of the most raw performances of his career", though she ultimately considered the film a downgrade from its predecessor. Against expectations, both films achieved record-breaking box office success, with both ranking among Indian cinema's top five highest-earners. Dhurandhar grossed over worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, while Dhurandhar: The Revenge has surpassed to become the highest-grossing Indian film of 2026.

Personal life

Singh began dating Deepika Padukone, his co-star in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, in August 2012. In October 2018, the couple announced their impending marriage. The following month, they married in both traditional Konkani Hindu ritual and Sikh Anand Karaj ritual. Both the ceremonies were held at Lake Como, Italy. On 8 September 2024, Padukone gave birth to their first child, daughter Dua Padukone Singh. The couple announced that they were expecting their second child in April 2026.

Media image and reception

Singh has appeared in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list since 2012, reaching his highest position (seventh) in 2019. That year, the magazine estimated his annual earnings to be and ranked him as the fifth-highest-paid actor in the country. He was also featured by GQ in their listing of the 50 most influential young Indians of 2017 and 2019. In 2019, India Today featured him among the nation's 50 most powerful people, and in 2023, he featured in a similar list by The Indian Express.

In addition to his acting career, Singh launched his own record label in 2019, named IncInk, to promote local musicians. He endorses several brands, including Adidas, Head & Shoulders, Ching's, Jack & Jones, Thums Up, Singh is also an investor in Vineeta Singh's start-up Sugar Cosmetics. Kroll Inc. (formerly Duff & Phelps) estimated his brand value to be US$63 million, in 2019, the fourth-highest of Indian celebrities. In 2022 and 2023, he held the second position, peaking with a brand value of US$203.1 million in the latter year. In 2024, he acquired a 50% stake in Elite Mindset, a packaged foods company. In 2025, a report by Kroll valued his brand at $170.7 million, maintaining his position as India's second most valued celebrity. Additionally, his global presence was noted when he became the first Indian actor to be featured on the cover of a major international sports magazine following the success of Dhurandhar.

Off-screen, Singh is known for his flamboyant fashion sense. In July 2022, Singh appeared nude in a photoshoot for Paper magazine. A month later, he was summoned by Mumbai Police for questioning in connection with several police complaints that were filed against him after the pictures went viral on social media. The image was later used as the cover artwork for the song "Goodbye Evergreen" from Sufjan Stevens's 2023 album Javelin. In December 2023, a life-size, wax figure of him was installed at London and Singapore's Madame Tussauds museums.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Singh is the recipient of five Filmfare Awards: Best Male Debut for Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Best Actor for Bajirao Mastani (2016), Gully Boy (2019), and 83 (2021), and Best Actor (Critics) for Padmaavat (2018).