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Ranveer Singh versus Ranbir Kapoor: The different kind of boyfriends in the film industry
by Subhash K Jha
Savage jokes doing the rounds of the entertainment industry have to do with the great difference between the letters 'v' and 'b'. It was Katrina Kaif who pointed it out, when at a press conference she was asked a question about Ranbir Kapoor.
"You'll have to spell it out. I don't which of the two you are asking about," she said.
She meant Ranbir and Ranveer, considered by most Bollywood enthusiasts the two biggest hopes of commercial cinema after the Khan troika. Their names have become quite the brunt of jokes and comparisons. Even Shah Rukh Khan had asked the 'v wala Ranveer or 'b' wala Ranbir' question on atleast two recent occasions in a public domain, one with Salman Khan and another time with Kajol.
I hope Ranbir sees the lighter side of his Don Juan image.
To recap a bit, Ranveer came into the industry when Ranbir was the Next Best Thing. Then some unfavourable career choices from the latter and an inversely uncanny knack of choosing winning films displayed by the former, turned the tables.
On the personal front, Ranveer has proven himself quite a gallant gentleman. At the recent Filmfare awards Shah Rukh Khan designated Ranveer the best boyfriend in the film industry and starlet Zareen Khan cooed, "Boyfriend ho toh Ranveer jaisa, aur agar nahin toh na ho."
Deepika Padukone makes actresses jealous not just because she has the best career in tinsel town but also because she has the most devoted boyfriend in the film industry.
Yes, the same Deepika who was so devoted to Ranbir ('b' wala) that she had his name tattooed. Silly girl. She thought their love would never end. If she only knew how commitment phobic 'b' wala Ranbir is. To her chagrin, Katrina has just discovered what Deepika went through.
Ranbir's track-record in matters of the heart has been daunting. One doesn't know when his love affair with love affairs began. But I suspect Ranbir loved to love from way back.Admittedly every relationship has been sincere, intense and honest. Every moment spent with every object of adoration, special and all-consuming. Every woman in his life a memorable souvenir, a beauteous memento.
Yes, Ranbir is the entity we all recognize but never quite locate in the map of human civilisation.
The Ladies Man. Ranbir's grandfather the late and unconditionally great Raj Kapoor was the last great 'Ladies Man'. He had affairs with the most gorgeous actresses while his lovely wife waited for them to get over, one after another.
Given the family history, think of what Katrina could have gotten herself into.
Ranbir often used to talk to me about doing a bio-pic of his grandfather. I have a better suggestion. He should do Raj Saab's Mera Naam Joker, which opens with all the women who ever loved the hero, coming to see his final show.
They would need a really large auditorium to shoot that sequence with Ranbir.
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