Ranveer Singh burst onto the Bollywood scene with Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010, delivering a performance that radiated freshness and charisma. His portrayal of Bittoo Sharma, a cheeky yet endearing small-town guy navigating the chaotic world of wedding planning, won hearts. With his unpolished charm and seemingly effortless comic timing, Singh seemed like a promising talent who could bring layers to characters. The film’s 7.2/10 IMDb rating reflected not just audience appreciation for the story but also Ranveer’s relatability. However, was Bittoo Sharma an example of real acting? Nope. Or was it just Ranveer playing an exaggerated version of himself? Yes. Believable? Maybe.
Fast forward to 2023’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Ranveer Singh’s portrayal of Rocky Randhawa leaned heavily on flamboyance, loud costumes, and an outsized personality. While the film—a Karan Johar extravaganza—attempted to balance its gloss with social messaging, Ranveer’s Rocky felt more like a caricature than a character. His acting lacked nuance, with the emotional beats feeling superficial. The film’s manipulated 6.5/10 IMDb rating, with charts that defy the Gaussian Normal Distribution, highlights an audience that perhaps expected more from a star of Ranveer’s caliber after 13 years in the industry. This begs the question: has Ranveer evolved as an actor, or has he just perfected the art of being himself on screen?
The Problem: Acting vs. Mimicry
True acting demands transformation—a chameleonic ability to disappear into the character, leaving the actor behind. Globally, actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Meryl Streep, and Christian Bale immerse themselves so fully in their roles that they become the characters they portray. But in Bollywood, and particularly in the case of Ranveer Singh, the actor often remains front and center, overshadowing the story and the character. Whether it’s Bittoo Sharma, Rocky Randhawa, or any of his other roles, Ranveer appears to be playing variations of himself—relying on mimicry, exaggerated mannerisms, and surface-level performances instead of diving deep into the psyche of his characters. Believable? Nope.
This is not just Ranveer Singh’s problem. Bollywood’s reliance on star power over storytelling has created a culture where scripts are tailored to fit the persona of the actor, rather than the actor transforming to fit the character. Filmmaking in Bollywood often begins and ends with the question: "Who’s the star?" Original scripts, which demand fresh approaches to acting and storytelling, are sidelined in favor of projects that cater to the same overexposed faces and their established brand of acting, with all the baggage and manufactured or real glamour they project offscreen. This leads to a creative stagnation that blocks innovation and holds Indian cinema back from achieving global recognition.
The Echo Chamber of Nepotism and Star Worship
At the heart of Bollywood’s mediocrity lies a toxic echo chamber fueled by nepotism and the worship of stars over stories. New scripts must often align with the “comfort zone” of a top actor, who is hesitant to take risks or stray too far from their public image. This stifles originality and ensures that audiences are served a repetitive cycle of formulaic plots, exaggerated performances, and predictable endings. For Ranveer Singh, this echo chamber has perhaps enabled him to coast on his natural charisma rather than push the boundaries of his craft. Can Ranveer Singh get cast in any of the films outside of his echo chamber for his acting skills? Not a chance!
Contrast this with industries like Hollywood, where an actor’s ability to become the character is often the deciding factor for casting. Take Joaquin Phoenix’s haunting portrayal of Arthur Fleck in Joker, or Cate Blanchett’s seamless transformation into the titular conductor in Tár. These performances stand out because the actors fully embodied their roles, delivering authenticity that resonated with audiences globally. Until Bollywood begins to value this level of commitment to craft, it risks remaining a factory of mediocrity.
Jagdeep as Surma Bhopali: A Masterclass in Real Acting
When Jagdeep portrayed Surma Bhopali in Sholay (1975), he delivered a performance that stands as a shining example of true acting. Jagdeep didn’t just play Surma Bhopali—he became him. His transformation was so seamless that audiences didn’t see the actor behind the character; they saw a genuine, larger-than-life yet entirely believable personality. Surma Bhopali, with his swagger, exaggerated storytelling, and comic quirks, wasn’t just a character in a film—he felt like someone you might encounter in a bustling marketplace or a dusty small-town café. This authenticity is the hallmark of real acting, where the performer vanishes and only the character remains.
Jagdeep’s brilliance lay in the layers he brought to Surma Bhopali. His exaggerated tone, playful body language, and impeccable comedic timing were rooted in cultural authenticity. Every nuance, from his distinctive dialogue delivery to his exaggerated yet relatable expressions, painted the picture of a man with big ambitions and a flair for tall tales. Jagdeep didn’t rely on his personality to carry the role; instead, he fully immersed himself into Surma’s world, speaking, moving, and existing as Surma Bhopali. The result was a performance that not only provided comic relief but also added richness to the tapestry of Sholay’s universe.
The Contrast with Today’s Bollywood "Actors"
Now let’s dare to compare Jagdeep’s artistry to the so-called "acting" of today’s Bollywood stars. While Jagdeep became Surma Bhopali, most of today’s actors simply show up as themselves, cloaked in flashy costumes and over-the-top sets. Where Jagdeep delivered depth and authenticity, these stars rely on their pre-packaged personas to carry a film. They play variations of themselves, rarely stepping out of their comfort zones to truly inhabit a character. The result is a shallow mimicry, devoid of the believability and emotional engagement that elevate a performance from passable to iconic.
It’s hard to imagine any of Bollywood’s current "stars" pulling off a role like Surma Bhopali. Acting today has largely become a showcase for star power rather than character transformation. Scripts are written to accommodate an actor’s persona, leaving no room for nuance or depth. The industry’s obsession with "bankable names" has fostered a complacency that prioritizes box-office appeal over storytelling and performance. And let’s not forget the relentless marketing machines that prop up mediocrity with glittering promotions and hollow praise.
Why Jagdeep’s Performance Still Resonates
Jagdeep’s Surma Bhopali is a masterclass in how to create a character that lingers in the audience’s memory. It wasn’t just his comedic timing that stood out—it was his ability to ground the humor in authenticity. Surma’s exaggerated stories were funny not because they were outrageous, but because they felt real in their absurdity. Jagdeep’s performance was rooted in an understanding of the character’s environment, motivations, and quirks, making Surma Bhopali a living, breathing individual rather than a caricature.
Today’s actors often miss this key ingredient: authenticity. They focus on surface-level traits—accent, costume, catchphrases—without delving into the psychology and humanity of their characters. It is about becoming the character in the story and not about being themselves. This is why so many performances feel hollow and forgettable. Meanwhile, Jagdeep’s Surma Bhopali continues to charm audiences nearly five decades later, a testament to the power of real acting.
The Daring Challenge for Bollywood
Can any of today’s Bollywood actors achieve what Jagdeep did with Surma Bhopali? Can they shed their star personas and fully transform into their characters? It’s not impossible, but it requires humility, dedication, and a willingness to be vulnerable—traits that are often overshadowed by the glitter of stardom. If Bollywood truly wants to evolve, it must nurture actors who are willing to prioritize craft over image and filmmakers who are willing to take risks on originality.
Jagdeep’s Surma Bhopali is a reminder of what Bollywood can achieve when it values storytelling and performance over spectacle and celebrity. His legacy challenges the industry to raise its standards, and his iconic role dares today’s stars to step out of their echo chambers and prove they can do more than just play themselves. The question is: are they ready to rise to the challenge?
The Way Forward: A Call for Authenticity
The solution is clear but far from simple. Bollywood must shift its focus from glorifying stars to crafting characters that demand REAL acting. Actors like Ranveer Singh must embrace roles that challenge them to move beyond mimicry and embrace the emotional and psychological depths of their characters. Studios must take bold steps to invest in original scripts and emerging talent, creating an environment where storytelling—not just stardom—takes center stage.
The Indian audience, too, has a role to play. By rejecting mediocrity and demanding authenticity, viewers can push the industry to break free from its reliance on spectacle and empty star power. Movies like Band Baaja Baaraat showed what Ranveer Singh is capable of when placed in a well-written, grounded narrative. Imagine the possibilities if he—and Bollywood as a whole—committed to the art of acting and storytelling with the same fervor they dedicate to marketing their films.
Conclusion: The Cost of Complacency
Ranveer Singh’s journey from Bittoo Sharma to Rocky Randhawa is emblematic of Bollywood’s broader issues. While his undeniable charm has kept him afloat, it is time for him—and the industry—to evolve. Real acting requires vulnerability, discipline, and a willingness to step outside one’s comfort zone. Without these elements, even the brightest stars risk fading into irrelevance, remembered not for their artistry but for their missed potential. Mimicry is not acting.
Bollywood’s future depends on dismantling its echo chamber and fostering a culture of storytelling craft, creativity, integrity, and excellence. You cannot just cater to the lowest common denominator of the Indian society, which is a large segment, but, they must also cater to an even larger segment of global consumers of good films. This necessitates real actors and not mimicry artists chasing "stardom" in their echo chamber. The question is: does the industry—and its stars—have the courage to rise to the occasion? It must lead, follow, or get out of the way.
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