Ranbir Kapoor's stardom remains questionable

- Pankaj Kumar Sinha           Let us know what you think about this article

After ten years, the actor coming from the Kapoor lineage should have become a successful brand already. He has worked with top film makers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Imtiaz Ali, Prakash Jha, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Anurag Basu and Raj Kumar Santhosi. He has always been rated as a talented actor. Does box office justify his status as a prince of bollywood? Is he really popular among masses or he is more of a multiplex actor? Does he have strong fan base out of cities of India? Most of his movies get critical acclaim but we know the truth that critics are not taken seriously by the industry itself. Does he have it in him to dethrone the Khans at the box office? At the end of the year, the movies starring the Khans rule the box office. We believe in "action speaking louder than words" and in Bollywood "box office is louder than critical acclaim."

His recent movie 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' directed by Karan Johar released with lot of fanfare. The film released through lot of political controversy and was completely in news in last one month. It got free marketing because of that. The film also boasted of stars like Aishwarya Rai, Anushka Sharma, Fawad Khan, Lisa Haydon and Shahrukh Khan in guest appearance. The film was marketed everywhere and they were seen in all television channels. We all know that Karan Johar is a big brand in bollywood. Despite all these, the movie has only garnered 35 crores in the first weekend in India. Most of the Khans movies earn 100 Crores by fourth day. There is no comparison itself right now. It is the same Karan Johar, who has given blockbuster movies with Shahrukh Khan. The film has got mixed review and it is not a family film. They may blame the festival Diwali. Ranbir Kapoor stardom is questionable. The first three days of box office belongs to star and after that it is the film, which pulls the crowd.

Let us be honest, Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai got more whistles than him in the film. He had a lot of female fans but his break ups with Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone in real life has affected his image a lot. We are also tired of seeing him in weeping characters. Is he trying to be the new tragedy king? Most of his recent roles look very similar. His choice of films and characters is problem and none of his films can be called family films recently. In most of films, his characters are very complex. The movies cannot bring social change but it is one of modes of entertainment for people today. He needs to take cue from his colleague Ranveer Singh in choice of films. He is trying different characters and films but he is entertaining in those roles. We do not want to see Ranbir Kapoor in his films but want an entertainer, who can make us laugh and cry with him. After a decade in the industry, he needs to pull up his socks harder and prove himself in the race to the top.

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