Can FWICE legally ban Ranveer Singh?

The trio first addressed the “elephant in the room” — Deepika Padukone, who was dating Ranveer at the time and had previously been in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor. Trying to diffuse the awkwardness, Ranbir remarked that there was no awkwardness between them and added that he often hung out with both Ranveer and Deepika in social circles. He even joked that he hoped the couple would one day have babies who admired him as an actor.

Caught off guard, Ranveer laughed awkwardly and said, “Today of all days, Ranbir has decided to say something out of line. He is usually on point.” A visibly confused Karan Johar asked, “Did he say something out of line?” while Ranbir himself looked surprised and questioned, “Did I?”

After a dramatic pause, Ranveer joked, “This actor-director combination is in cahoots. I am feeling victimised here. I am feeling targeted.” Ranbir immediately joined the joke and told Ranveer, “No, no, wait. I am here with you. We are supposed to victimise him,” pointing towards Karan. “Exactly,” Ranveer agreed, while Karan laughed and responded, “Okay, victimise me.”

In a world of oversharing, Ranbir Kapoor’s quiet emotional style stands out.

‘I’m glad I have competition in Ranveer Singh’: Ranbir Kapoor

Beyond the banter, the conversation also touched upon career insecurities and competition in Bollywood. At the time, Ranbir Kapoor was going through a difficult phase professionally, with several films underperforming at the box office. Speaking honestly about failure, he admitted that watching Ranveer shine on screen inspired him rather than discouraged him.

“When your films don’t work, there’s confusion and dilemma,” Ranbir shared. “You watch other people’s work, especially his work, and see him shining on screen. It doesn’t depress me, it inspires me. I am glad I have competition in this guy. Watching him in Ram-Leela, Dil Dhadakne Do and Bajirao Mastani makes me want to do better. I am scared because this guy has no limit.”

Karan Johar then pointed towards Ranveer and said that before his arrival, Ranbir was largely considered the defining actor of his generation. He asked Ranveer whether Ranbir had become a benchmark for him.

Karan Johar

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“Always,” Ranveer admitted. “He was the benchmark and the gold standard for young actors.” Karan quickly followed it up with, “Do you think you matched up?” Ranveer’s response instantly won hearts. “Do I need to match up? Can I just do my own thing? We both do good work, take the industry forward, and put our films on the world map.”

Karan then joked that Ranveer had “pushed Ranbir behind the camera,” hinting that the actor should perhaps move towards filmmaking instead. But Ranveer disagreed. “No, I genuinely want to see him direct a film,” he said. Surprised, Karan asked why. Ranveer replied, “Because he has studied it. He once told me he wanted to direct.”

Ranbir then revealed something fans had never heard before — the two actors had actually discussed starring in a film together. “Nobody knows this, but both of us had spoken about doing a film together. Project X,” Ranbir revealed. Excitedly turning towards Karan, Ranveer asked, “Are you going to bankroll it?” “What do I look like to you? A bank?” Karan replied in disbelief. “We are giving you a ready cast!” Ranveer shot back, sending the room into laughter.

Ranbir Kapoor says Dhurandhar is his current favourite. (Photo: File photo)

When Ranbir Kapoor replaced Ranveer Singh

The conversation later shifted towards Anurag Kashyap’s ambitious film Bombay Velvet, which had become one of Bollywood’s biggest box-office disasters. Ranbir candidly spoke about how deeply he surrenders to directors while working. The Anurag Kashyap film was originally supposed to star Ranveer Singh.

“My process is to marry the director’s mind, make him love me and fall in love with him. Sometimes you choose the wrong partner and are blinded by love. It has happened to me many times,” he confessed. Without missing a beat, Karan immediately interrupted and asked, “Like you did with Bombay Velvet?” Ranbir simply nodded and admitted, “Right.”

Karan then turned to Ranveer, who was originally supposed to star in the film, and cheekily asked whether he had a “silent laughing moment” watching the film fail after missing out on it. Before Ranveer could answer, Ranbir quickly defended him. “He was actually very kind. Since Rockstar released, the amount of love he has shown me after every film — he makes me feel like I’m going to win a National Award every time,” Ranbir shared warmly.

Ranveer, in turn, praised Ranbir’s performances and defended Bombay Velvet itself. “He is incredible in all his films. Has he ever given a bad performance? No. And honestly, I liked Bombay Velvet. I didn’t think it was bad,” he said.

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Interestingly, Anurag Kashyap had originally written the role of Johnny Balraj for a relatively lesser-known Ranveer Singh. However, he was asked to cast a more popular star, Ranbir, so he could get the kind of budget that was required for the film. Despite the star power and scale, Bombay Velvet eventually failed at the box office.

Currently, Ranveer Singh appears to be facing one of the toughest phases of his career. After waiting years for a major blockbuster comeback through the Dhurandhar franchise, the actor has reportedly found himself in limbo following his exit from Don 3 due to alleged creative differences with Farhan Akhtar. Dhurandhar franchise has become the biggest Hindi grosser of all time earning over Rs 3000 crore worldwide.