Imran Khan admits he has not seen Animal, says it is ‘hard’ to talk about Ranbir Kapoor's growth in the last few years

Imran Khan opened up about his equation with Ranbir Kapoor, and called him a ‘tremendously gifted’ actor.

Imran Khan made his comeback on the big screen with the film Happy Patel. He and actor Ranbir Kapoor were considered among the most promising young actors at the time of their debuts in the early 2000s. Imran took a sabbatical after 2015, while Ranbir emerged as a lead star in the last few years. Imran has now commented on how he considers Ranbir to be a ‘tremendously gifted’ actor but he has not yet watched his last release, Animal.

Imran Khan says Ranbir Kapoor thinks deeply about his acting craft.

What Imran said

Speaking to News18, Imran said, “It’s less common for actors to do films together. As a factor of that, you tend to have less of an opportunity to get to know actors within the same age bracket. In the last couple of years, I’ve fairly been disconnected from Indian cinema. I haven’t watched Animal… It’s hard to talk about his growth in the last few years. But while I was actively working, I watched all of his films."

‘He has a strong instinct’

He went on to add, “I’ve always considered him to be a tremendously strong actor. My understanding of him basis the conversations that we had is that he’s a thinking cinema person. He has a strong instinct and thinks deeply about the craft of acting and the language of cinema. And that reflects in his work.”

Released in 2023, Animal was a hyper-violent action drama that explored a twisted father-son relationship. Ranbir played Ranvijay Vijay Singh, a man shaped by childhood trauma inflicted by his emotionally distant father, portrayed by Anil Kapoor. The film was a huge box office success, grossing over ₹900 crore worldwide.

Ranbir's upcoming projects

Ranbir is currently working on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War, a 1960s-set period drama co-starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, slated for release in June 2026. He will also be seen later this year in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part One, where he essays the role of Lord Ram.