Ranveer Singh, in these years in the movies has cemented his status as a star who has given us some absolute blockbuster performances and won us over with his chutzpah, originality and infectious energy. On December 10 today, Ranveer marks a decade in the movies as his hit debut, Band Baaja Baarat celebrates its 10th year anniversary. With his versatility, hard-work and immaculate choice of films in these 10 years, Ranveer surely has contributed to some path-breaking cinema.
Speaking to Hindustan Times about his journey and his dreams of a legacy, Ranveer shared that his period of struggle wasn’t easy and that the career he has now was never something he even dreamt of.
Talking about how the first few years were before he got a break in Band Baja Baarat, he says:
My period of struggle was not easy at all. There was recession going on at that time, the movie business was not very prolific, people were making fewer films. Therefore, opportunities for actors were far less than for actors today. We didn’t have these web platforms, we didn’t have OTT platforms etc. So good opportunities were hard to come by. For 3-3.5 years I was just groping in the dark, attempting various avenues, trying to get a break, trying to get a foot in the door, doing the rounds of various offices with my portfolio looking for work and not knowing whether it will ever happen at all. It was very far-fetched for someone in my position to think that I’d get a premier opportunity as a performer to act as a lead in Hindi films. It was a million to one shot but I took it. With the love, blessings, sacrifices and support of my amazing parents I mustered up the fortitude to keep going. I was hungry and sometimes foolish but also very persistent. I was 21 when I started trying and at 24 it happened for me in spectacular fashion. Those tales are memoir-worthy for sure. I almost debuted in a side role in Patiala House. I almost did some small budget films that Anurag was directly/indirectly affiliated with.
Ranveer Singh was almost going to do a small role in Patiala House? Who would have thought! And then came Band Baja Baarat and the rest is history! He says he himself didn’t have the vision to dream up his life like how it is now and that it all feels unreal still.
But when it comes to going forth and creating a legacy of his own, Ranveer says it’s something he is working towards every day and wants to be remembered as “a thorough entertainer and a versatile actor” and make his country proud through his work in Hindi cinema. He calls entertaining people his calling and that that’s what he wishes to do through his work.
Thanks for entertaining us for a decade now, and we sure cannot wait to see all that you have to offer in the coming times, Ranveer!