Ranveer Singh

Singh at a promotional event for Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010

In January 2010, Singh was called for an audition by Shanoo Sharma, the head of the casting division for Yash Raj Films.[16] They informed him that it was for a lead role in their film titled Band Baaja Baaraat, a romantic comedy set in the world of wedding planning. Aditya Chopra, the vice president of the company, later saw the audition tapes on video and was impressed by Singh's acting, and decided that he fit the part of Bittoo Sharma, the hero of the film.[17] However, writer-director Maneesh Sharma needed some more convincing and he was called for a few more auditions over the next two weeks until the three were completely convinced of his caliber.[8] After the two weeks of testing, Singh was confirmed for the role of Bittoo, with Anushka Sharma playing the female lead.[17]

Singh described the role of Bittoo Sharma as a typical Delhi boy.[8] To prepare for the role, he spent time with students at the Delhi University campus.[15] Prior to the release of the film, trade analysts were skeptical of the film's commercial potential, citing the middling response to Yash Raj Films' last few productions, the lack of a male star and the fact that the female lead, Anushka Sharma, was by then an "almost-forgotten" actress.[18] However, Band Baaja Baaraat went on to become a sleeper hit. Singh's portrayal of Bittoo was praised, with Anupama Chopra of NDTV writing that Singh was "pitch perfect in the role of the uncouth but good-hearted small town slacker who is a bit of a duffer when it comes to matters of the heart."[19] The film earned approximately ₹214 million (US$3.0 million) at the domestic box office.[20] At the 56th Filmfare Awards, Singh won the award for Best Male Debut.[21]

Following Band Baaja Baarat, Singh signed on for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, a romantic comedy produced by Chopra and directed by Maneesh Sharma. He played a conman Ricky Bahl who cons girls for a living but finally meets his match. The film co-starred Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma and Aditi Sharma.[22] According to Singh, the title character had various avatars in the film, including a chirpy, entertaining side and a sinister side.[7] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India wrote, "Ranveer is, well Ranveer: your average Joe kind of hero who looks convincing enough as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal, Ricky, his sundry avatars."[23] Commercially, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl earned ₹370 million (US$5.2 million) domestically.[24]

Singh's next release was Lootera (2013), a period romance, written and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, and co-starring Sonakshi Sinha.[25] An adaptation of O. Henry's short story The Last Leaf, Lootera was critically acclaimed.[26][27] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote that Singh "brings a quiet sensitivity to Varun, and occasionally a smoldering intensity. Offering a finely internalized performance, he leaves a lasting impression."[28] However, Lootera performed poorly at the box office.[29]

Singh with Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Leela Bhansali at an event for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela in 2013

Singh next starred opposite Deepika Padukone in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, entitled Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, in which he played Ram, a Gujarati boy based on the character of Romeo.[30] Bhansali was impressed by Singh's performance in Band Baaja Baaraat and decided to cast him for the film.[31] Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela generated positive reviews from critics, as did Singh's performance.[32] Writing for India Today, Rohit Khilnani commented that "Singh has everything going for him here. His Bollywood hero entry scene lying down on a bike in the song 'Tattad Tattad' is outstanding. He learnt a new language to better his performance for the character Ram and it paid off. In his fourth film he has the presence of a star."[33] The film emerged as Singh's biggest commercial success,[34][35] with worldwide revenues of ₹2.02 billion (US$28 million).[36][37] For his portrayal, he received several recognitions, including a Best Actor nomination at Filmfare.[38]

In 2014, Singh starred as a Bengali criminal in Ali Abbas Zafar's Gunday, alongside Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan.[39][40] David Chute of Variety praised Singh's screen presence and wrote that he "tucks the movie's center of interest under his arm and takes it with him — even though he has the could-be-thankless "good brother" role".[41] Also, Singh's chemistry with Kapoor was considered by critic Rohit Khilnani to the prime asset of the film.[42] Gunday proved to be Singh's biggest box office opener,[43] and eventually emerged a box-office success with a revenue of ₹1 billion (US$14 million) worldwide.[44] After a cameo appearance in Finding Fanny, Singh starred as a gangster in Shaad Ali's unsuccessful crime drama Kill Dil opposite Parineeti Chopra and Ali Zafar and received negative reviews.[45][46]

Singh at the 61st Filmfare Awards ceremony, where he won the Best Actor award for portraying Bajirao I in Bajirao Mastani (2015)

In Zoya Akhtar's ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Singh starred with 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.[47] Commercially, the film underperformed.[48] He next reunited with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the period romance Bajirao Mastani (2015), opposite Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. He portrayed Bajirao I, for which he shaved his head and to prepare, he locked himself in a hotel room for 21 days.[49][50] 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.[51] The film earned ₹3.5 billion (US$49 million) to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films, and garnered Singh the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[52][53]

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.[54] Singh performed a nude scene for it, a rare occurrence in an Indian film.[55] 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".[56] It underperformed at the box office.[57]

After a year-long absence from the screen, Singh portrayed Alauddin Khilji, 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.[58] 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.[59][60] Ankur Pathak of HuffPost criticised the film's misogynistic and regressive themes, but praised Singh for his "astute brilliance" in depicting Khilji's bisexuality.[61] 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".[62] Padmaavat's production budget of ₹2 billion (US$28 million) made it the most expensive Hindi film ever made at that time.[63] With a worldwide gross of over ₹5.7 billion (US$80 million), it ranks as Singh's highest-grossing release and is among India cinema's biggest grossers.[64][65] He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor (shared with Ayushmann Khurrana for Andhadhun) and gained a Best Actor nomination at the ceremony.[66][67]

Singh and Sara Ali Khan promoting Simmba in 2018

Towards the close of the same year, Singh played the titular corrupt policeman in Rohit Shetty's action comedy Simmba, based on the Telugu-language 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.[68][69] 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 humourless masculinity of Devgn's Singham".[70] With worldwide earnings of ₹4 billion (US$56 million), Simmba emerged as Singh's second top-earning Indian film of 2018.[64]

Singh next reteamed with Zoya Akhtar in Gully Boy (2019), a musical inspired by the life of the street rappers Divine and Naezy.[71] 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.[72] The film premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.[73] 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 showreel for his range".[74][75] Gully Boy won a record 13 Filmfare Awards, and Singh received another Best Actor award.[76]

In 2020, Singh launched his own production company named Maa Kasam Films.[77] He will next reprise his role as Simmba in Shetty's action film Sooryavanshi.[78] He will portray the cricketer Kapil Dev in 83, a sports film based on the 1983 Cricket World Cup, and the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh in Johar's historical drama Takht, which features an ensemble cast including Kareena Kapoor, Bhatt, Bhumi Pednekar, Janhvi Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.[79][80][81] He has also committed to team with Yash Raj Films once again for the comedy Jayeshbhai Jordaar.[82]