Born on July 6, 1985, Ranveer Singh's real name is Ranveer Bhavnani. Very few know that the actor dropped his surname because he felt 'It's too long and it's not a saleable commodity'. Ranveer then added 'Singh' to his name as his grandfather is Sikh (All pics/Ranveer Singh Instagram account)
In pic: Ranveer Singh's mother Anju Hingorani Bhavnani, sister Ritika Bhavnani and the little munchkin Ranveer.
Ranveer Singh always wanted to be an actor ever since he was a little kid. The actor has time and again confessed in various interviews of him saying, "I knew that I had to do something related to performing arts and I enjoyed acting the most as it incorporated so many different art forms. I must say, I was a very filmy kid. I used to watch a lot of TV and get very influenced by Bollywood"
In pic: Little Ranveer posing with his dad Jagjit Singh Bhavnani and grandfather Sunder Singh Bhavnani.
However, Ranveer Singh also faced a certain phase during his college days where he started feeling that the idea of acting was far-fetched and he should rather focus on creative writing.
In pic: Ranveer Singh shared a childhood picture of himself, starstruck and standing alongside Akshay Kumar. The caption read, "Fanboy moment with the one and only Akshay Kumar (sic)"
Ranveer Singh was pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University (Bloomington), where, yet again, the acting keeda (bug) hit him! After coming back to India, he started auditioning for films.
In pic: Ranveer Singh shared this throwback picture with his sister Ritika on Rakshabandhan! He looks so cute!
When Ranveer came to Mumbai he became an Assistant Director. Meanwhile, the actor even started networking a little with people in the industry. He even did theatre, to get more insights in the field of acting. Though, Ranveer was very clear with his goals that he wanted to only act in mainstream Hindi movies.
In pic: Just look at him! Ranveer looks simply adorable as he is pretending to workout
Ranveer Singh's journey as an aspiring actor is as interesting as his personality. When Ranveer went to meet to directors, producers etc. they felt it was an advantage because he was a blank slate. But, at the same time the disadvantage that the filmmakers auditioning him felt was that "he is not a conventionally good-looking boy"
In pic: Ranveer Singh proves that he has been experimental since 1985, his birth year. The photo shared has a very young Ranveer Singh with a mohawk hairstyle.
One fine day, Ranveer Singh finally got a call from YRF. His mentor and producer Aditya Chopra had clearly made him aware that he 'you have to act really well if you want people to like you', which Ranveer Singh said was "a polite way to say you are ugly"
In pic: A throwback picture of Ranveer Singh and photographer Rohan Shrestha during their high-school days vis-a-vis their recent picture.
Ranveer Singh, in an old interview with mid-day, had said, "Ranbir Kapoor said no to 'Band Baaja Baraat'. YRF was looking for a new face I got a call and I knew this was the opportunity I was waiting for. I kept my face safe and didn't do modelling or music videos. And then I got a massive launch, essentially for an 'outsider', opposite a reasonably recognisable star Anushka Sharma."
In pic: Ranveer Singh's childhood picture during one of the plays he was part of.
Ranveer Singh was hurt when he came across the gossips that his father had put in money to launch his Bollywood career. He said the cooked-up stories were not just heartbreaking, but it also took away the thrill of his maiden success.
Though it's a known fact that Ranveer Singh is Sonam Kapoor maternal cousin (Sonam's mother Sunita Kapoor's mom (Sonam's maternal grandmother) and Ranveer Singh's paternal grandfather are siblings), Singh said Aditya Chopra had put faith in him, and thus, set a great example of promoting actors on the basis of talent and not "legacy".
Ranveer Singh's audition story is even more interesting. For his first audition, he was asked to enact a couple of scenes, but the second one required him to dance! Director of Band Baaja Baraat - Maneesh Sharma rolled the camera and said pick your song! Ranveer by default chose - (yes you guessed one right) Anil Kapoor's My Name Is Lakhan and Malaika Arora's Chaiya Chaiya. You won't believe what feedback he got after that!
In pic: Ranveer Singh with his father Jagjit Singh Bhavnani.
After Ranveer Singh danced on the songs, in the feedback, the makers said you can dance and you have rhythm too, but your moves are terrible!. Can you believe it?
In pic: Ranveer Singh with his mother Anju Bhavnani and Ritika.
Ranveer Singh's first film earned his praises with critics calling him the most 'Confident debut in the recent times'. Recalling his success, Ranveer, in an old interview with mid-day said, "When I first came into the limelight I was very nervous. I was famous three days after my first film released. I didn't grew up around anybody famous so I was confused how to deal with this beast. This fame or stardom hit me like a truck. I was struggling with that hit for three years till the time I got critical acclaim for 'Lootera' and critical/commercial success of Ram-Leela."
In picture: A candid photo of Ranveer Singh on sets of Band Baaja Baraat.
Since then, there was no looking back for the star! Be it Bajirao Mastani or the portrayal of Allaudin Khilji in the year's most controversial and one of the highest grossing films - Padmaavat, Ranveer Singh has managed to make a commendable mark in the industry.
In picture: Ranveer Singh with Ladies vs Ricky Bahl co-stars.
He has topped The Times 50 Most Desirable Men List of 2017.
2018 had a been an eventful one for Ranveer. After garnering applauds for playing the brutal Allaudin Khilji in Padmaavat, Ranveer Singh became the talk the town, when he announced his wedding with his long-time girlfriend Deepika Padukone. The actor got married in November and his film Simmba became of the one highest grossing films of 2018.
Ranveer Singh's Gully Boy, which released in 2018, earned positive reviews as well as good moolah at the Box Office. He will be next seen in Kabir Khan's '83. May he continue entertaining the audience!
