Ranbir Kapoor is set to challenge the dominance of the three Khans with his upcoming film, Ramayana. While his past hits like Animal and Sanju showed his box-office power, this mythological project aims to give him a broader, heroic identity. Success here could finally reshape the hierarchy of Hindi cinema.
There was a time when the question of Bollywood’s biggest superstar inevitably revolved around the three Khans. Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan dominated the conversation for decades, with each enjoying extraordinary box-office success. But as Hindi cinema prepares for the release of Ramayana, an interesting question arises: Is Ranbir Kapoor finally ready to challenge this hierarchy?
After Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2, can Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana make him Bollywood’s BIGGEST superstar? How Ramayana could change the hierarchy of Hindi cinema forever
Ranbir’s rise has been anything but straightforward. Unlike several stars whose careers have been built around a recognisable commercial formula, Ranbir has constantly experimented. He has played a troubled musician in Rockstar, a charming young man in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, a conflicted son in Animal and now takes on the responsibility of portraying Lord Rama in Ramayana.
The numbers demonstrate just how far he has travelled.
Sanju (2018) opened at Rs. 34.75 crores and went on to collect Rs. 342.53 crores in India. Five years later, Animal (2023) took an extraordinary opening of Rs. 63.80 crores and finished with Rs. 556.36 crores. Between the two came Brahmastra (2022), which opened at Rs. 36 crores and collected Rs. 257.44 crores.
These films also highlight something interesting about Ranbir’s career. His biggest successes haven’t necessarily followed the same template. Sanju was a biographical drama, Brahmastra was a fantasy spectacle, while Animal was an intense, adult-oriented action drama. The common factor was Ranbir’s ability to attract audiences to substantially different cinematic experiences.
However, the journey hasn’t been without setbacks. Shamshera (2022) managed just Rs. 42.48 crores in its lifetime despite its large-scale action setting. This demonstrates that Ranbir’s name alone cannot guarantee success. Like every other superstar, he still depends on the material, director and audience response. This is where Ramayana becomes particularly significant.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film has the potential to expose Ranbir to an unusually broad audience. While Animal appealed strongly to viewers seeking intense action and drama, Ramayana is positioned as a family-oriented mythological spectacle with appeal across generations, languages and international markets.
If successful, it could give Ranbir something that even a blockbuster like Animal couldn’t fully provide: a widely recognised heroic identity rooted in one of India’s most familiar stories.
The distinction matters. Some of Bollywood’s biggest stars became cultural phenomena because audiences identified them with memorable characters over several decades. Shah Rukh Khan’s romantic image, Salman’s larger-than-life mass persona and Aamir’s reputation for carefully selected projects were all built gradually.
Ranbir has arguably been less dependent on a single screen identity. His versatility is his strength, but it also makes his superstardom harder to define. Ramayana could change that.
There is another factor worth considering. Ranbir occupies an interesting generational position. He has been around long enough to build a substantial body of work, but is younger than the three Khans. This offers him the possibility of attracting audiences who grew up watching his films while continuing to reach newer viewers.
Nevertheless, declaring him Bollywood’s biggest superstar purely on the strength of Ramayana would be premature. Superstardom is not measured by one blockbuster. It depends on consistent opening-day pull, audience loyalty, repeat viewership, longevity and the ability to attract crowds even when the film does not belong to an established franchise.
The Khans have repeatedly demonstrated that kind of drawing power over several decades. Ranbir’s next challenge is to prove that his success is equally sustainable.
The decisive question, therefore, isn’t simply whether Ramayana can become Ranbir Kapoor’s highest-grossing film. It is whether the film can elevate his standing to a level where his presence becomes an event in itself, irrespective of the director, genre or franchise.
If Ramayana delivers on its enormous expectations, Bollywood’s superstar conversation could enter a fascinating new phase. The Khans’ legacy will remain secure. But the battle for the next era of Hindi cinema may finally have a serious frontrunner.
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