Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh (born July 6, 1985, Bombay [now Mumbai], Maharashtra, India) is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood, noted especially for his on-screen versatility and his spirited, energetic off-screen persona. Some of his standout performances have been in the films Lootera (2013; Robber), Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela (2013; “The Dance of Bullets: Ram Leela”), Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018), Gully Boy (2019), 83 (2021), and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023; “Rocky and Rani’s Love Story”). Over the years Singh has also garnered acclaim as a style icon for his fearless and eccentric fashion choices.

Early life, family, and education

Ranveer Singh Bhavnani was born to Jagjit Singh Bhavnani, a businessman, and Anju Bhavnani, a homemaker. (Ranveer Singh dropped Bhavnani from his screen name to make it shorter and more memorable.) He has an elder sister named Ritika Bhavnani. Singh’s paternal grandmother, Chand Burke, was an actress who worked in the Punjabi film industry and Bollywood. He married Bollywood actress and frequent costar Deepika Padukone, the daughter of badminton champion Prakash Padukone and Ujjala Padukone, a travel industry professional, in 2018. Singh and Padukone are parents to two daughters.

Ranveer Singh attended the H.R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, after which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in telecommunications with a minor in theater from Indiana University, Bloomington, in the United States.

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Debut and rise to stardom

Ranveer Singh worked in the advertising industry before entering Bollywood. In 2010 he made his acting debut in the romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat (“Wedding Planners”) as a free-spirited man who starts a wedding planning venture with a partner (played by Anushka Sharma) and finds his way through life and romance. The film was a modest success. Singh next appeared in the romantic comedy Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl (2011), which had an average performance at the box office, and the drama Lootera (2013; “Robber”), a commercial failure but critical success. Singh was singled out for praise in Lootera, which drew inspiration from O. Henry’s 1907 short story “The Last Leaf.”

In 2013 Ranveer Singh starred in his first box-office hit, the romantic tragedy Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela (“The Dance of Bullets: Ram Leela”), a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (c. 1594–96). Singh starred with Deepika Padukone in the film. The following year he appeared with Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the romantic drama Gunday (“Outlaws”), which proved to be another commercial success. In 2015 he was part of an ensemble cast in the family drama Dil Dhadakne Do (“Let the Heart Beat”). That year he also starred as the Maratha peshwa Baji Rao I (whose expansion of Maratha power transitioned the post of peshwa from chief minister to de facto ruler) in the hit historical drama Bajirao Mastani, opposite Padukone and Jonas.

Later career

Ranveer Singh delivered two blockbusters in 2018. Starring alongside Shahid Kapoor and Padukone, he played a fictionalized version of the Delhi sultan ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Khaljī in the historical drama film Padmaavat. He also appeared in the hit action drama Simmba, as Sangram “Simmba” Bhalerao, an unscrupulous police inspector who eventually reforms. Simmba is set in a cinematic universe, known as the “cop universe,” created by director Rohit Shetty; the universe includes other productions centering on police officers and starring such prominent Bollywood actors as Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, and Sidharth Malhotra.

In 2019 Ranveer Singh played a struggling street rapper in the coming-of-age drama Gully Boy, which was India’s official entry in the best international feature film category for the 92nd Academy Awards (2020). He subsequently portrayed prominent Indian cricketer Kapil Dev in 83 (2021), a drama about India’s first Cricket World Cup win in 1983. Although the film garnered positive critical reviews, it failed commercially. His next notable credit was the hit romantic comedy Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023; “Rocky and Rani’s Love Story”), which won the National Film Awards for best popular film and best choreography. He played a boisterous Punjabi man who navigates a host of personal and cultural differences when he falls in love with a poised Bengali woman. In 2024 Singh was a part of the cast of the action drama Singham Again, in which he reprised his role as Sangram Bhalerao. The film is set in the same cop universe as Simmba.

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Singh starred alongside Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal in the spy thriller Dhurandhar (“Expert”), released in December 2025. The film is based on covert operations allegedly conducted by the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s external intelligence agency, and is set against the backdrop of real events such as the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight 184, the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, and the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. Dhurandhar became controversial because of its hypernationalist stance.

Public image and brand endorsements

Ranveer Singh has cultivated a larger-than-life, exuberant off-screen persona, frequently underscored by such quirky habits as carrying a portable speaker at sets and red carpets and spontaneously launching into capers during public appearances. His zesty persona is mirrored by his maximalist and daring fashion choices; he has consistently demonstrated a strong penchant for avant-garde ensembles, such as skirts and heels, defying gender norms in fashion.

Capitalizing on Singh’s public image and mass appeal, several prominent brands have featured him in some very popular advertisement campaigns. In 2014 Singh, who was then the brand ambassador of the condom manufacturer Durex, appeared in an ad film (titled Do the Rex) for the company, which gained widespread praise for destigmatizing the topic of sex. Singh wrote the lyrics for and lent his voice to the music track that was used in the ad. He also appeared, alongside adult entertainment star Johnny Sins (original name Steve Wolfe), in advertisement campaigns promoting men’s sexual wellness for the brand Bold Care in 2024. Singh has endorsed a variety of other brands, such as the travel service provider MakeMyTrip, the liquor manufacturer Royal Stag, and the toothpaste brand Colgate Max Fresh.

Controversies

In December 2014 Ranveer Singh, Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, and director Karan Johar appeared as guests on AIB Knockout, a comedy event that centered on “roasting” (playfully mocking and ridiculing an individual). A video of the event was uploaded on YouTube, following which the show and its participants received widespread criticism for the use of expletives and offensive language. Two first information reports (FIRs; police complaints) as well as a public interest litigation (PIL; pleas in court) were filed in Mumbai and Pune by activists and civil petitioners against the show’s organizers and several stars in attendance, including Singh.

Singh once again became a subject of controversy in 2022, when he appeared nude in a photo shoot for Paper magazine. After Singh shared images from the photo shoot on social media, an FIR was filed against him for obscenity by a nongovernmental organization official. Singh later alleged that one image from the shoot had been morphed.

In 2026 Ranveer Singh was involved in an employment dispute after controversially exiting the film Don 3, directed by Farhan Akhtar, shortly before shooting began. After a film union issued a non-cooperation directive against him, Singh retaliated by allegedly sending the union a legal notice. The union later withdrew its call to boycott Singh.