Ranbir Kapoor is the latest entrant of the Kapoor Khandaan to enter Bollywood. The family legacy he carries in Hindi cinema is long and memorable - Great Grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor, Great Grand Uncle Trilok Kapoor, Grandfather Raj Kapoor, Grand Uncles Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, father Rishi Kapoor, Uncles Randhir Kapoor and Rajeev Kapoor, cousins Kunal Kapoor, Karan Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. And this is just the direct family coming down from Prithviraj Kapoor! There's mother Neetu Singh, aunt Babita, grand uncles on hios grandmother's side - Premnath, Narendranath and Rajendranath...If one goes on, one would encompass practically the entire Hindi film industry! Enough to say Ranbir comes to Hindi cinema with a pedigree attached.

The son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, both stars in their own right who formed a hit jodi in their heyday, Ranbir Kapoor was born on September 28, 1982. Though uncertain about what he wanted to do, he knew it would always be something to do with films. He assited his father in Aa Ab Laut Chale (1999) besides also assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Black (2005).

Bhansali decided to launch Ranbir and fellow assistant Sonam Kapoor (Anil Kapoor's daughter) in his adaptation of White Nights, Saawariya (2007). It was a dream come true for ranbir as he says he joined Bhansali hoping Bhansali would notice him and cast him in his next film after Black. It happened with Saawariya.

However Saawariya was extremely disappointing for a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. In the overblown film with stilted theatrics, Ranbir gets totally defeated by the script. Often, he comes across as a silly juvenile clown rather than a likeable young man in love. At times his 'cute' acts are just cringe worthy. Further, everything is done to reinforce the fact that a Kapoor from a new generation is entering Bollywood thus burdening Ranbir even more. So you have a world of the Kapoor Khandaan around Ranbir. There is a bar in the town named RK Bar against which you have Ranbir and Sonam in a pose, plenty of scenes in the rain, a Mrs D'Sa kind of landlady that Raj Kapoor had in Anari (1959), Ranbir wears a Chaplinesque derby, repeats his father's baring act from Bobby (1973) and even retreads his dialogues form Karz (1980). It's unfortunate because left to himself, there are enough moments in the film where he does show sparks of being a good performer who should just have been allowed to forge his own identity. He did win all the awards for Best Male Newcomer for Saawariya, though.

Fortunately for Ranbir, the sparks were seen by the people who matter. He was signed up by Yashraj films for Bachna Ae Hasseno (2008) where he appears far more open, likeable and confident as compared to Saawariya. In fact, Ranbir is undoubtedly the life and soul of the otherwise disappointing film. Hindi cinema should rejoice it has found a brilliant young new star who proves a worthy addition to artists from the Kapoor Khandaan. He is confident, likeable and what's more totally at home be it comic, serious or romantic scenes. He seems to be developing his own style and identity but what he needs now are better films to really take off. Other major films that Ranbir has signed are Karan Johar's production Wake Up Sid and Rajkumar Santoshi's Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani opposite Katrina Kaif. Already a hot favourites with the fairer sex, stardom is imminent for Ranbir. In fact, he is already a star. His popularity with youngsters can be gauged from the fact that Pepsi selected him for their 'Youngistan' campaign.

On the personal side too things are going well for Ranbir as he is seeing his Bachna Ae Haseeno co-star Deepika Padukone, the two of them making an extremely good-looking, young and trendy couple.