Debut and success (2007–10)
Following the release of Black, Bhansali cast Kapoor as the protagonist of his 2007 tragic romance Saawariya, alongside Sonam Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. The film tells the story of a tramp, Ranbir Raj, who falls obsessively in love with a woman awaiting the return of her lover. In an interview with the news and entertainment portal Rediff.com, Kapoor stated that his character was written to pay a tribute to his late grandfather. Saawariya was the first Indian film to be produced by a Hollywood studio (Sony Pictures Entertainment), and was a highly anticipated release. However, film critics were disappointed with the picture with BBC's Jaspreet Pandohar calling it a "misfire on a massive scale". CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand considered it "contrived and fake", but was impressed by Kapoor's "affable charm" and wrote that "he’s got that star quality to him which is so rare to find." At the box office, Saawariya failed to earn profits. However, at the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony, Kapoor was awarded a Best Male Debut trophy.
Despite the commercial failure of Saawariya, Kapoor was contracted by Yash Raj Films for a primary role in the Siddharth Anand-directed romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno(2008). The film was his first commercial success, in which his role was that of Raj Sharma, a womaniser who is romantically involved with three women, played by Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba, and Deepika Padukone, at different stages of his life. Rachel Saltz of The New York Times expressed mixed views on his performance, but predicted that his "puppy-dog sweetness" would "serve him well as a Bollywood leading man".
In 2009, Kapoor had three film releases. In Dharma Productions's Wake Up Sid, a coming of age film from director Ayan Mukerji, Kapoor portrayed Siddharth "Sid" Mehra, a rich, lazy teenager whose life undergoes a series of changes after interacting with an ambitious journalist (played by Konkana Sen Sharma). When Mukerji narrated the then-untitled script of the film to him, Kapoor came up with the title himself. The media expressed doubt on the film's financial prospect as it depicted a romantic relationship between a younger man and an older woman. It eventually emerged as a sleeper hit and garnered acclaim from the critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungamareviewed that Kapoor's performance in the film proved that he was "amongst the best in the business today".
Kapoor next starred opposite Katrina Kaif in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, a slapstick comedy from director Rajkumar Santoshi, that emerged as the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2009. Film critic Gaurav Malani praised his flair for comedy, but criticised his "over-excited husky baritone". Kapoor's final release that year was the Shimit Amin-directed Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, a drama about a sardar who aspires to be a salesman. Film critic Mayank Shekhar praised the film and found Kapoor's performance to be "astonishingly sincere", but the film earned little at the box office. Kapoor later professed to being highly disappointed by the film's commercial failure. At the 55th Filmfare Awards, Kapoor was awarded the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performances in all three of his 2009 releases, and he also received two Best Actor nominations at the same ceremony for Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.
Prakash Jha's big-budget ensemble political thriller Raajneeti was Kapoor's first release of 2010. The film, which starred Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee, Katrina Kaif and Sarah Thompson in prominent roles, was inspired by the Indian epic The Mahabharata and Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather. Kapoor's role was that of Samar Pratap (based on the characters of Arjuna and Michael Corleone), the youngest heir of an Indian political dynasty, who is reluctantly drawn to politics after the assassination of his father. Kapoor described it as his first "mature role" and considered it a departure from the "lover boy roles" that he had previously played. Nikhat Kazmi ofThe Times of India reviewed: "The film finally belongs to Ranbir Kapoor who perfects the art of minimalism – and literally grows before your eyes – as the simmering volcano that cannot be held back, once it erupts." Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times, however, was more critical of his performance which he considered "stony rather than calculating—especially jarring compared to the histrionic turns around him". Indian trade journalists were apprehensive of Raajneeti recovering its 
600 million (US$9.8 million) investment. The film, however, surpassed trade expectations and proved to be a major commercial success with worldwide earnings of over 1.43 billion (US$23 million). Kapoor received a third Best Actor nomination at Filmfare for the film.
600 million (US$9.8 million) investment. The film, however, surpassed trade expectations and proved to be a major commercial success with worldwide earnings of over 1.43 billion (US$23 million). Kapoor received a third Best Actor nomination at Filmfare for the film.
Later that same year, Kapoor collaborated with Priyanka Chopra on Anand's Anjaana Anjaani, a comedy-drama involving two strangers who vow to commit suicide on New Year's Eve. The film was a moderate financial success, but received little praise from the critics. Rajeev Masand noted that Kapoor "struggles with a badly-defined role" and NDTV's Anupama Chopra concluded: "Ranbir tries hard to salvage the film, dropping his shirt several times but even his lovingly shot chest can’t save the film."
Rockstar and beyond (2011–present)
Following an item number in the children's film Chillar Party (2011), Kapoor took on the role of Janardhan "Jordan" Jakhar in Imtiaz Ali'sRockstar, a drama that follows the journey of an aspiring musician from a humble background to international stardom. In preparation for the role, Kapoor lived with a Jat family in Pitam Pura to study their mannerisms. He additionally learned to play the guitar and practised extensively at A.R. Rahman's (the film's music composer) music studio. As part of the film's promotional activity, Kapoor performed at a live concert in Mumbai. Film critics were polarised on their view of the film, but were unanimous in their praise for Kapoor; Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis was particularly impressed with the film and thought that Kapoor's portrayal was one of "Hindi cinema’s most accomplished performances by a lead actor". For the role, Kapoor won both the Best Actor and Best Actor (Critics) trophies at the57th Filmfare Awards ceremony, along with Best Actor awards at Screen and IIFA. With a gross revenue of 1.07 billion (US$18 million),Rockstar was one of the top-grossing Hindi films of the year.
1.07 billion (US$18 million),Rockstar was one of the top-grossing Hindi films of the year.
The 2012 romantic comedy Barfi! was Kapoor's first release to earn over 1 billion (US$16 million) at the domestic box office. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film (set in the 1970s) tells the story of its titular protagonist (a deaf and mute man, played by Kapoor) who falls in love with a woman who is already engaged (played by Ileana D'Cruz) and later, an autistic girl (played by Priyanka Chopra). In preparation, Kapoor observed the work of actors Roberto Benigni, Charlie Chaplin, and his grandfather. Barfi! received praise from the critics, and the performances of the three lead actors were acclaimed. Ronnie Scheib of Variety praised Kapoor for successfully channeling Chaplin in "tone and affect", and Raja Sen of Rediff.com wrote that "he does very strongly indeed with this Chaplin-tribute role, bestowing his character with heart every step of the way". The film was submitted as India’s official entry for the 85th Academy Awards, and was screened at the Marrakech and Busan International Film Festivals. Kapoor won second consecutive Best Actor awards at the Filmfare, Screen, and IIFA Award ceremonies.
1 billion (US$16 million) at the domestic box office. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film (set in the 1970s) tells the story of its titular protagonist (a deaf and mute man, played by Kapoor) who falls in love with a woman who is already engaged (played by Ileana D'Cruz) and later, an autistic girl (played by Priyanka Chopra). In preparation, Kapoor observed the work of actors Roberto Benigni, Charlie Chaplin, and his grandfather. Barfi! received praise from the critics, and the performances of the three lead actors were acclaimed. Ronnie Scheib of Variety praised Kapoor for successfully channeling Chaplin in "tone and affect", and Raja Sen of Rediff.com wrote that "he does very strongly indeed with this Chaplin-tribute role, bestowing his character with heart every step of the way". The film was submitted as India’s official entry for the 85th Academy Awards, and was screened at the Marrakech and Busan International Film Festivals. Kapoor won second consecutive Best Actor awards at the Filmfare, Screen, and IIFA Award ceremonies.
Kapoor achieved further success in 2013 when he reunited with director Ayan Mukerji for the romantic comedy Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewanico-starring Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin, and Aditya Roy Kapoor. He was cast as Kabir "Bunny" Thapar, a commitment-phobic photographer, a character Kapoor found to be an extension of himself. His pairing with Padukone, after their highly publicised break-up, led to hype surrounding the film's release. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani opened to record-breaking collections, and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time with earnings of 3.02 billion (US$50 million); it also proved to be Kapoor's third consecutive commercial success in three years and earned him another Best Actor nomination at Filmfare. Film critics found the film to be "riddled with clichés", but praised both Kapoor and Padukone, with Daily News and Analysis' Tushar Joshi labelling their on-screen chemistry as "unsurpassable". Kapoor's second release of the year was the action-comedy film Besharam in which he played a petty thief, alongside Pallavi Sharda and his parents. The film met with an overwhelming negative reception and emerged a failure; Sudhish Kamath of The Hindu described it as "Kapoor's hall of shame".
3.02 billion (US$50 million); it also proved to be Kapoor's third consecutive commercial success in three years and earned him another Best Actor nomination at Filmfare. Film critics found the film to be "riddled with clichés", but praised both Kapoor and Padukone, with Daily News and Analysis' Tushar Joshi labelling their on-screen chemistry as "unsurpassable". Kapoor's second release of the year was the action-comedy film Besharam in which he played a petty thief, alongside Pallavi Sharda and his parents. The film met with an overwhelming negative reception and emerged a failure; Sudhish Kamath of The Hindu described it as "Kapoor's hall of shame".Upcoming projects
As of August 2014, Kapoor has several upcoming projects. He has completed work on Bombay Velvet, a period film from director Anurag Kashyap. Based on the historian Gyan Prakash's book Mumbai Fables, the film co-stars Anushka Sharma, Raveena Tandon and Karan Johar and is scheduled for release in May 2015. He has launched a production company named Picture Shuru Productions in a collaboration with director Anurag Basu; their first production—the comedy-mystery film Jagga Jasoos—will feature Kapoor (alongside Katrina Kaif) in the role of a teenage detective. Kapoor is filming Imtiaz Ali's romantic drama Tamasha with Deepika Padukone, and will star in Vicky Singh's romantic thriller Roy, alongside Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Rampal. He has also committed to star opposite Alia Bhatt in Ayan Mukerji's untitled project, a fantasy filmabout a man with superpowers.
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