Happy Birthday Ranbir! Please Break out of Your Rut

Ranbir’s recent releases have started blurring together.

A few months back, after the release of Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanjay Dutt biopic Sanju, I came across this review of the film from Silverscreen by Sohini Chakravorty. Two particular lines describing Ranbir Kapoor’s performance caught my eye.

“Ranbir Kapoor captures the troubles of a self-destructive man-child perfectly. The confusion and vulnerability in his eyes, and his hopeless but sometimes comic attempts at redemption make you want to empathise with this rich spoilt brat...”

I shared a screenshot of the review and joked that the lines could exemplify any of Ranbir’s recent roles. A lot of my friends agreed and we shared a laugh. It was harmless fun.

Here’s the thing though. I don’t hate Ranbir, or dislike him as an actor. In fact I feel he’s one of the best of a young batch of actors who prioritise interesting films and performances over one-note stardom. However, something about Ranbir’s recent string of roles has been frustrating me. What I’m trying to say is, Ranbir has perhaps unknowingly settled into a rut.

The key words in that excerpt of review are ‘man-child’ and ‘spoilt brat’. It’s some variation of those two characteristics that have been the common thread between all of Ranbir’s recent releases, to the point that a lot of them have started blurring together.

Enough digital ink has been spilt over Sanju, but I’m going to leave its trailer here for posterity and so we can see a pattern emerge.

Ranbir’s last release was 2017’s Jagga Jasoos, an extremely messy film with some lovely bits. The trailer gives a feeling of deja vu, with his childish antics recalling both Sanju and Ranbir’s previous (and superior) collaboration with director Anurag Basu, Barfi. You could say that Ranbir isn’t to blame since he is playing a literal teenager, the fact that he sells it is an achievement.

Ranbir’s two collaborations with Imtiaz Ali, Rockstar and Tamasha, present an interesting dichotomy. They feature him playing both a charming version of the man-child but also a more mellow, intense adult. It’s the latter half of the performance that really sells these films, even when they’re far from perfect. Ranbir is great at capturing burning rage in Rockstar and benumbed stoicism in Tamasha. At their best moments, he is able to bring a genuine darkness and destructive quality to these roles. Take this (somewhat disturbing) deleted scene from Tamasha, where Ranbir showcases an unstable quality in his character that the film ultimately shied away from.

If you ask me, it’s Ranbir’s films with Ayan Mukerji that were ground zero for the man-child/spoiled brat complex. Wake Up Sid (2009) is a fine film but it was the first time Ranbir discovered he was good at playing a “lost child”. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) took the complex to its extreme.

There is also a problematic aspect to these characters; the guy who doesn’t know what he wants and still gets the girl is a hoary cliché and so unrealistic it’s offensive (there are elements of this issue in ‘Tamasha’ as well.)

2016’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil repeats these tendencies. Ranbir spends most of the film behaving like a petulant child. However, that film is redeemed by Karan Johar’s touch and the fact that Ranbir’s character Ayan does not get the woman he pines for, and shows maturity at the end by accepting her friendship.

Listen, I’m not saying Ranbir should jump to playing psychopaths and villains (though there is no reason he shouldn’t try considering he’s a good actor.) He has already shown range even in earlier films like Bachna Ae Haseeno and Rajneeti.

And if you want proof that there is complexity and nuance to be found in playing a character that’s naive but good-at-heart, just look at him in ‘Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year’. That criminally underseen gem remains Ranbir’s best performance.

So here’s the thing, Ranbir, if you’re reading this: I know you can do so much more, and your upcoming slate does promise a lot of diversity. I do hope Sanju was the last of its kind. Oh and one more thing, Happy Birthday!