Before starting off his career as an actor, Kapoor worked as an assistant with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where he was involved in the making of the film Black (2005).[5] Kapoor later made his acting debut in November 2007 with Bhansali's Saawariya opposite newcomer Sonam Kapoor. The film failed to do well at the box office,[6] though his performance was largely appreciated. Kapoor was then s
een in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) alongside Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone. The film was a semi-hit at the box-office.[7]
Kapoor's first release of 2009 was Ayan Mukerji's Wake Up Sid, in which he portrayed the character of Siddharth Mehra, a spoiled and self-centered college student from Mumbai. Featured opposite Konkona Sen Sharma, the film was a critical and commercial success.[8] Subhash K Jha wrote, "Ranbir's Sid is a near-perfect portrait of the aimless young man searching for a direction in life. Ranbir handles the character's inner life with the effortlessness of a Sitar maestro twiddling with his instrument's strings to create a music that takes the audience to a world where the sounds suggest a harmony between art and life. In Wake Up, Sid Ranbir proves once and for all that he's the future of Hindi cinema".[9] Kapoor earned several nominations for Best Actor at various award ceremonies. He next starred alongside Katrina Kaif in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, which surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year.[10]
Following this, Kapoor appeared in Shimit Amin's drama Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. Upon release, the film received positive reviews by critics but failed to do well.[11] Kapoor's performance was critically acclaimed, with one critic writing, "Ranbir brings to his part a whole lot of earnestness and heart. His natural and utterly contagious exuberance so much on display in his last two films Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is effortlessly curbed here."[12]
In 2010, he featured in Prakash Jha's multi-starrer political thriller Rajneeti. The film opened to positive reviews and was declared a "blockbuster".[13] His performance was well received with critic Nikhat Kazmi concluding, "The film finally belongs to Ranbir Kapoor who perfects the art of minimalism -- and literally grows before your eyes -- as the simmering volcano that cannot be held back, once it erupts. He's as grey and soot-filled, as volcanoes go...".[14] In the same year, Kapoor appeared alongside Priyanka Chopra in Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani which was a moderate box office success.[13]
2011 saw Kapoor feature opposite newcomer Nargis Fakhri in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar. The film, upon release, met with predominantly positive reviews and grossed Rs. 64 crore worldwide during its opening weekend.[15] In a review published by CNN-IBN, Rajeev Masand wrote: "Rockstar belongs to Ranbir Kapoor over everyone else. It is a riveting performance [...] and Ranbir roots it in the real. Watch how he seizes the stage in the "Sadda Haq" number and virtually makes the track his own. For Ranbir alone, this film deserves a watch."[16]
As of January 2012, Kapoor is scheduled to appear in Anurag Basu's Barfee alongside Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz.
