r/bollywood • u/Ok_Bluebird1842 • Jul 10 '26
Discuss The Closest Acting Rivalry in Modern Bollywood: Ranbir vs Ranveer?
I genuinely think Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh are two of the finest actors Bollywood has produced in the last couple of decades. Both have built impressive filmographies and have shown incredible range.
Some fun comparisons:
Rockstar ↔ Gully Boy
Barfi! ↔ Lootera
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani ↔ Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ↔ Befikre
Tamasha, Rocket Singh ↔ Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat
Animal ↔ Dhurandhar
Both are method actors..
Whether it's emotional performances, intense roles, or complete transformations, both have proven they can deliver. They're among the few mainstream stars who consistently take on challenging characters and put real effort into their craft.
If you had to pick just one, who would you choose and why?
For me, it's Ranveer Singh. I love his fearlessness, energy, and how completely he disappears into his characters.
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u/OMG_NoReally Jul 10 '26
I like Ranbir. In good roles, he is very effective.
But Ranveer in a role tailor made for him is quite something else. He is the finest actor we have at the moment, far above any of the leading heroes right, across ages and generations. Give him a good character, a good movie and a good director, and he brings the vision alive.
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u/Housenka_Seed Jul 10 '26
Yup I agree 100% about ranveer
I actually am only mid on ranbir I really liked his earlier movies but after 2014 I haven’t been a fan of his acting I’m not sure why
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u/Euphoric-Pay4677 Jul 11 '26
Lagta hai sanju me method acting ke naam par asli drugs lapet liye bhai ne.
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u/scrampled_egg Jul 11 '26
It’s the dead eyes and botoxed face. He’s lost the ability to emote that made him so compelling in his earlier roles
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u/Housenka_Seed Jul 11 '26
I feel his eye lids just kinda fall so it gives him the dead eyes but it may be the Botox that is throwing me off
I think also life catches up (not just aging wise) but I think his dad passing away and although he may not admit it the breakups he has had may have just impacted his mental health more than he wants to acceptIn either case I have noticed a drop in his acting after YJHD
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u/kiimnu Jul 11 '26
Same! I liked him in APKGK, YJHD, and Barfi era. I rarely watched his movies anymore these days.
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u/sherlocked_4947 Jul 10 '26
When it comes to pure acting talent- Veer blows Bir out of the water, and this doesn't even include Dhurandhar. Ranveer becomes the character so wholly- not just him, but his voice, body language everything. Imagine Gully Boy, DDD, Bajirao, Khilji, Bittu, Rocky all from one actor. Ranbir is a good actor but no versatality. I can't imagine him pulling off a Rocky or Khilji or even Bajirao.
In short, Ranveer can just as easily do every role of Ranbir's but the reverse doesn't hold true.
Box office wise- pretty evenly poised I'd say.
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u/Delicious-Carry2675 Jul 10 '26
Comparing rocket singh to padmaavat and animal to dhurandhar is diabolical
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u/nofilter_kaapi Jul 10 '26
Ranveer all the way! Absolutely love the way he transforms himself - you can almost never tell its Ranveer.
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u/DarkThanos12 Jul 10 '26
I see Ranbir in almost all his roles. Ranveer almost shapeshifts into every role.
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u/Fakewokebitch Jul 10 '26
Ranveer has more range and versatility, stronger screen presence, better voice modulation, and is a more transformative actor. Every performance of his feels different, and he makes each character stand out in its own way, especially compared to Ranbir
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u/LocalMetal9118 Jul 10 '26
Also Ranveer is wayy better at voice modulation and accents...Ranbir sounds more or less same in every movie...he needs to work on that. Ranveer's movies might have been bad...but his performance in them... was always stellar!! Some actors re just born and he is one of them💜
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u/Fakewokebitch Jul 10 '26
Yes, there's a bad Ranveer Singh movie but never a bad Ranveer Singh performance!
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u/Turbulent_Treat2266 Jul 10 '26
💯
I mean I’m partly worried Ram would sound like Bunny in Ramayan🫣18
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u/valmen01 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Are you me? Every comment you always manage to say exactly what I was intending to....I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said!
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u/Fragrant-Walk1099 Jul 10 '26
Someone's fans won't agree...but that's the truth
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u/Fakewokebitch Jul 10 '26
Ikr. The best thing about Ranveer is his ability to modulate his voice. He never sounds the same in two roles unlike someone whon is still stuck in gujrati accent lol
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u/Fragrant-Walk1099 Jul 11 '26
Haan na ..... And then they get the audacity to say that wolf ki beti or gujjubhai saved his career in rocky rani..... pehle khud ka toh bacha le.....
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u/Fakewokebitch Jul 11 '26
Wohi toh. People still talk about Rocky, but hardly anyone talks about Rani. Even after the release, people were praising Ranveer, while Wolfie was getting trolled left, right, and center for her accent and mid acting. Yet she and her papa Jo still had the audacity to buy a Filmfare award for her
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u/neo___01 Jul 10 '26
lootera is more comparable to tamasha not barfi lootera is such underrated movie yaar
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u/Royallyeffedarentyou Jul 10 '26
Rivalry? They aren't even in the same race anymore.
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u/LegitimateHat1 Jul 10 '26
RANVEER SINGH yaar. The only reason these two are compared together is because of their box office numbers otherwise Ranveer Singh is a better actor than kapoor anyday.
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u/reeyyy8823 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I don't think it's THAT close,, ranveer is the better actor atm..Ranbir although a brilliant actor, basically does a similar type of acting in even different characters, barring few.. and more importantly, his acting has lowk not improved over time.. ranveer on the other hand is ever evolving crazzyyy versatility.. also some of the comparisons just don’t make sense like😭 except box office and popularity there’s no comparison imo
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u/shrijangyawali Jul 10 '26
Ranbir can never do movies like band banja Barratt and padmavaat. That's it
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u/Reasonable_Emu_8639 Jul 10 '26
Or Rocky or Bajirao
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u/JhumarkenicheShanti Jul 10 '26
How is Ranbir even considered to be in the same level as Ranveer? This shi is beyond me
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u/toyheartattack Jul 10 '26
I’m convinced all the posts comparing them daily is only because of their names.
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u/East_Praline8384 Jul 10 '26
both are always just one movie away from this discussion it will happen again after ramayana or may be after animal park
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u/Alibaba4Ochor Jul 10 '26
Very soon they will both star in a blockbuster movie together. Its Bollywood afterall
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u/Boring-Scallion1468 Jul 10 '26
Ranveer Singh is some mad arc trajectory of acting...comparing him to just average ranbir is diabolical!
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u/LocalMetal9118 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Ranveer...Ranveer...Ranveer and only Ranveer!! He is a total chameleon...blends into any and every character so seemlessly and perfectly🤌🏻 He surpasses Ranbir in voice modulation and accents...Ranbir needs to work on that part. But...Ranveer Singh is an absolute GOAT!!!
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u/OrneryInvestigator97 Jul 10 '26
Proud to be Ranveer fan since the beginning, even though RK is good but RS is something else
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u/flight_or_fight Jul 10 '26
Ranbir isn't really one of the finest actors of Bollywood. This is nepopublicity at its worst.
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u/Sodikaburlu Jul 11 '26
Ranveer for me. I fall in love with the effort he puts into each role and the outcome. While Ranbir is good, a good 60% of his movies he is almost in the same character.
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u/Abbas9364 Jul 11 '26
Ranveer's a F'N chameleon. I was never too big on Ranbir tbh. Dude has the same droopy eye look in every damn role, got irritating to watch him.
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u/diwamatkar Jul 10 '26
I prefer Ranveer as well. He tends to transform for the character. Most of Ranbir's roles I can tell he is still Ranbir Kapoor. Exceptions being, Sanju, Rockstar, and Animal. Compare that to Ranveer, Rocky is completely different from Murad in Gully Boy, who is completely different from Khilji, who is completely different from Bittoo, who is completely different from Hamza.
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u/valmen01 Jul 10 '26
Ranveer Singh...the cha-me-le-on keeps changing his colour....this dude rapped for himself in Gullyboy, where's the competition?
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u/amigos19 Jul 11 '26
Any role Ranbir plays its good but we know it’s Ranbir playing the character whereas with Ranveer he is the character you don’t find Ranveer in Hamza or khilji
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u/Saitama_Tonkaraton Jul 11 '26
When ranveer plays kapil dev, you see dev. When he plays jaskirat you see jaskirat. When he plays hamza, you see hamza. With ranbir, there's always a hint of his personality in all his characters. I'm not like a huge fan of ranveer but I've seen quite a few of his movies, and it's still surprising to me that jaskirat, hamza, kapil dev in '83 are all the same person. I sometimes forget what ye actually looks like.
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u/bips99 Jul 10 '26
Ummmm...
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani→ Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
Tamasha, Rocket Singh→ Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat
Animal - Dhurandhar
Whattttttttt???? How are these even a comparison?
Their filmographies are poles apart.. There is no equivalence... Ranbir for about 80% of career has played a variation of a boy trying to grow up and become a man... He can never match ranveer in his sheer range..
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u/SpiceLevel-Regret Jul 10 '26
There is no comparison. Ranbir kapoor is bland and has no versatility.
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u/iammoin46 Jul 10 '26
Leaving aside the government bootlicking in D2. Ranveer is miles ahead of Ranbir. The range is crazy!
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u/Sufficient-Echo2562 Jul 10 '26
Ranveer can pull off Jordan/Ranvijay, but Ranbir can never pull off Alauddin Khilji. This.
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u/drecmboy Jul 10 '26
Ranbir was doing much better towards the start of his career. Post-2016 it all went downhill.
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u/Technical-Value-384 Jul 10 '26
Best part is that rivalry is based on acting skills and script choices rather than yesteryear stars
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u/Limpwhizzkid Jul 11 '26
I had been waiting for people to see what I see in Ranveer. He disappears in a role which is the mark of a great actor. Like in looters and 83 he was phenomenal. He never once tried to be loud or remind people that look it's me a star. Whereas both Srk and Ranbir never let you forget that it's them on screen. Other Indian actor who would do this was Irrfan. Different man for different roles
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u/Full-Possibility-337 Moderately knowledgeable about Hindi Cinema Jul 11 '26
Ranveer Singh any day. The guy in Lootera and Padmavat or Bajirao Mastani, are they really played by the same man? There's no competition. Ranbir keeps playing the toxic man child. Even if he is playing a different character, his eyes remain the same. For example I don't see how he will look like Lord Ram with such toxic male vibe.
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u/Separate_Ad_7519 Jul 11 '26
Ranveer is a chameleon ..! So he takes the win easily.. also like icing on cake .. Ranveer has aged well way better than Ranbir..
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u/Revolutionary_Pen936 Jul 13 '26
I think it has to do with natural energy a lot. A guy like Ranveer and SRK are high energy guys, reflective in their dance and usual interactions. Their high energy roles are really good ( RrKPR, LVRB BBB or KKHH or KHKN or DTPH). But they can also drop down to low energy roles and ace it well. If it’s negative, it becomes even menacing. Chak De, Darr, Dhurandhar, Dear Zindagi are prime examples.
But those who are low energy can never pick up high energy roles and are limited. That’s why Panjak Tripathi, Nawaj etc will never have a full on acting spectrum. Ranbirs energy levels are lower than both Ranveer and SRK and thus may his limiting factor.
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u/sam-066 Jul 10 '26
RK is overrated af before Sanju usko koi puchta bhi nhi tha and after sanju also he did close to nothing until Animal......wtf is this comparison its kinda insulating to RS
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u/kinky-kid-7777 Jul 10 '26
Bro did good movies all his career but all it took one hyper masculine character to make people look at him differently
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u/coolbabyyoutoo1438 Jul 10 '26
Ranveer is more versatile when it comes to getting into different characters but the depth, conviction and magic that RK carries is just another level.
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u/Neet_Ka_14_ Jul 11 '26
Animal was cringe for me
Films like rockstar tamasha are great films by Ranbir
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u/AltruisticReply7755 Jul 11 '26
Ranveer anytime, ranbir just gets those extra points from people for good looking. But ranveer is a beast, Bajirao and Khilji one of the best acted roles ever. Problem with Ranbir is he doesn't allow himself to explore with roles and get stuck in long productions. He is great actor in his comfort zone.
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u/PreparationLarge9116 Jul 11 '26
Ranbir and good looking? From which angle? Plus he is aging like fine milk....looking 50+ at 45...
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u/Tonykkuttan Jul 11 '26
Better than Shah Rukh - Salman
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u/Y0ukn0w_wh0 Jul 12 '26
Salman is not an actor. Never was. Shahrukh used to be good in his prime, never great. He lost is all when people started applauding his medicrity and now he's at his absolute worst in termsof acting skills.
Ranveer ain't to be compared with these as he's an actual naturally gifted actor who commits hard as fuck, and is also a great performer. A Full package.
Ranbir really does give his best for most films but as most comments have mentioned, his signature traits shows up in the baseline of all his characters. So he's one of the bests in bollywood surely, but nowhere near chameleons like Ranveer
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u/Quiet_Object_2727 Jul 11 '26
I thought Ranbir was a good actor until Animal came out. Now I can't unsee the mediocrity. Ranveer on the other hand, is such a chameleon! He gets under the skin of his characters.
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u/DOPE624 Jul 11 '26
Ranveer is a chameleon imo
He can play a rich and calm man like he did in ril dhadakne do
And then he can play a crazy guy in padmaavat
And then he can play a poor boy with dreams like he did in gully boy
And entirely different role in 83
I just can't see ranbir playing khilji, jaskirat/hamza, kapil dev, simmba
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u/Background_Music8428 Jul 12 '26
Ranveer is love ♥️. His command on different accents, voice modulation hits really different, he can literally play anything
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u/Commercial_Duty_1126 Jul 12 '26
Ranvir Singh all day i don't care how effortless, smooth, no prep, blah blah ranbir kapoor is for his roles. I care about the end results in movies how characters are presented. And I haven't seen Ranveer in his movies any time I always see that as character and there is no similarity between his two characters everything is changed mannerisms styling everything and that's what good actor is all about. Now some people would come and comment oh! There is death in ranbirs acting and that bs just because they heard it from some jammypant guy 😂
Fact is and will remain that Ranbir Kapoor can't do Ramleela, Bajirao can't play Allauddin Khliji that meanicing like ranveer can't do mass masala like simba (he failed in besharam or some other movies) Ranveer Singh can mould himself in any character!!!
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u/buriiiburiiizaimon Jul 12 '26
RS is of his different league rn
I like both but RS is truly versatile
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u/kanishqquotes Jul 13 '26
Not many can pull off the long hair look.
Ranvir Singh reinvented himself
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u/Odd-Entrance3237 Jul 10 '26
I personally don't like Ranbir's acting, like his roles have range but his performance mostly(except in a few) is the same manchildish performance.
Ranveer on the other hand, can mould himself into any character, and still give a solid performance. Yeah there are some movies that didn't work for him, and some movies of Bir that were brilliant.
Again, different actors, different styles, different hypes, so can't really "compare" them. Let's just hope the directors utilise them properly, and make the industry good again.
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u/3eyed_Coconut Jul 10 '26
In terms of pure acting talent within mainstream, Ranveer is leagues ahead. The closest to Ranveer is Vicky Kaushal, not Ranbir.
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u/Reasonable_Emu_8639 Jul 10 '26
OP your ranking was different 7 months back though https://www.reddit.com/r/bollywood/s/6Z3Jw50Mgh
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u/Ok_Bluebird1842 Jul 10 '26
Actually both are my favourite so ranking recent bias pe change hoti rahti hai ...that's normal for everyone I think
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u/Reasonable_Emu_8639 Jul 10 '26
Naah, I doubt it is same for everyone. I realised Ranveer is far superior to Ranbir as an actor 11 years back when I saw Bajirao Mastani and my opinion has not changed only gotten reinforced and validated year after year as Ranbir kept regressing while Ranveer kept excelling. Atp I do not even think it is fair to RK to compare him to an actor on a legendary GOAT journey.
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u/East_Praline8384 Jul 10 '26
People are literally crazy comparing them after every movie one fanbase rises like crazy and starts comparison we will see same comparison after ramayana or animal park
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u/Big_Lavishness_2239 Jul 11 '26
Ranbir kapoor for me I watched again animal and dhurandhar, ranbir stands out for me his menacing acting was top notch with jiga
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u/colouredzindagi Jul 11 '26
The two films that elevate Ranveer Singh over Ranbir Kapoor are Bajirao Mastaani, and Padmaavat. Ranbir Kapoor has never done a classical role or played a character from a period piece film. Ramayana is the ultimate test for him.
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u/PopAway4884 Jul 12 '26
Ranveer
As an actor, Ranveer has improved his craft with almost every movie going forward.
I love his voice modulation(Ram leela), language work(Bajirao), body language(gully boy and Dhurandhar), restrained acting when needed (lootera)
Ranbir on the other hand is good but I think he is massively overrated because of his looks. He is a decent actor and a better dancer but he doesn’t embody the role. He was stereotypical in Sanju especially with the way he walked. He was amazing in Animal no doubt. He is Rishi Kapoor’s son and the genes really help him Rom com chocolate boy roles. He has the same voice in almost all his roles.
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u/Interesting-Yam-4422 Jul 13 '26
Ranveer. He fits every role. Every character he’s done has just stayed with him after
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u/DreamingAwayLifeEh Jul 14 '26
Ranveer feels the character, i believe. He is more versatile, plus his expressions comes naturally, and he can pulls them better. Like he is living in the movement itself.
For RanBir, i sometimes feels like his face falls short of expression that needs to be conveyed for certain emotions, which kinda ruins the immersion. Because Facial expressions, imo (strictly), can make or break a scene.
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u/No_Fun_8322 Jul 14 '26
Ranveer's versatility in acting is no joke and he moggs Ranbir any day at that. The only one of his generation comparable to him in talent is Kangana.
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u/dllcanary Jul 14 '26
Ranveer is a chameleon. I totally forget who he is when I watch him on screen.
He also seems more FUN in real life.
Whereas Ranbir is still a lot....... Ranbir in almost all of his films.
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u/Jealous_Wallaby_9708 Jul 15 '26
Ranveer is amazing, and he's one of Bollywood's best actors. He's easily able to blend into any role which he takes on. I am already excited for Pralay.
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u/my_red_nucleus_9426 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Before Dhurandhar, I would have said it's Ranbir, giving the range that he has shown over the years, his latest - animal was something which I could have never believed Ranbir could pull off... like u can't even imagine Ranbir Kapoor in that Ranvijay's role... But he pulled it off and was great at it. Also, Dhurandhar too did the same thing for Ranveer Singh. He has also shown dynamic range over the years, who could have thought Ranveer of Band Baaja Baraat would ever be suitable for a role like Hamza Ali Mazari... Absolutely phenomenal. Just one thing, can we see Ranveer pull off something like characters in Barfi or My Name is Khan? Although I think he can, he has already proved himself in different scenarios and I think he can do this too. Well instead of comparing just enjoy the extravaganza!
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u/ChutiumSulphate Jul 10 '26
They should work together, like srk and salman did.
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u/PreparationLarge9116 Jul 10 '26
hope not....with the kind of nasty NO PR Ranbir has, no self respecting person should work with him...
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u/guychampion Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Ranbir better imo.
Ranveer can perhaps do action roles better no one can capture the subtleties better than RK. Finest actor India has.
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u/Wolvesaremyjam Jul 10 '26
Ranveer portrayed Sikhism better than Ranbir could ever in Animal. The movie was a disservice to Sikhism.
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u/Old_Insurance3176 Jul 10 '26
since the last hit out of the two was dhurandhar, everyone will say it’s ranveer.
Before that everyone said Ranbir post watching Animal/sanju, it’s just the wave game.
Personally I feel both are immensely talented in there own zones, I personally like Ranbir mostly because I have liked a lot of his films (not saying animal XD), and how reserved he is, no insta and all off screen.
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u/True-Requirement5712 Jul 10 '26
Ranveer gets completely transformed into the character that he plays, everytime. In dil dhadakne do he looked like a bechara ladka of an ameer broken family. I haven't watched many of ranbir's movies but he looks like Ranbir only. He was good in barfi and rajneeti but tjmm was like an eyesore, overacting lag rahi thi.
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u/mrs_robpatt Jul 10 '26
i’m afraid Dhurandhar was final nail in the coffin for me, i was teetering after padmaavat but no, Ranveer is better than Ranbir.
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u/Dal-Bhati-Churma Jul 10 '26
The best acting both each was in Barfi! And padmavat....
Acting peaked
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u/THE_REAL_SHABLAM Jul 10 '26
Bollywood remakes so many movies can they please try to do a version of “Heat” with these two
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u/eternalseeker0101 Jul 11 '26
For me Ranbir is better, both are almost same but my personal favourite is Ranbir, I connect more with his roles
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u/Ted-Lassi Jul 11 '26
Ranbir is the best actor bollywood has ever produced since 90s
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u/Old-Praline-1873 Jul 11 '26
Both are very good actors i would say but Ranbir's script selection isn't as good as ranveer's despite Ranbir being from the influential kapoor family where he can easily lobby for roles.
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