Poorna Jagannathan reveals ‘generous’ Ranbir Kapoor gave her money to produce play: ‘He was the first investor’

Poorna Jagannathan talks about how her Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani co-star Ranbir Kapoor helped her produce her play Nirbhaya.

"Generous" is a word that automatically comes to Indian-American actor Poorna Jagannathan's mind when she thinks of Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor. In 2013, Poorna shared screen space with Ranbir in Ayan Mukerji's directorial Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. She essayed the role of Riana Sarai, a tour conductor who helps get Ranbir's character Bunny his dream job. (Also Read: Poorna Jagannathan recalls facing ‘intense ageism’ in the Hindi film industry: ‘I just felt underestimated’)

Poorna Jagannathan and Ranbir Kapoor in a still from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

Poorna Jagannathan on Ranbir Kapoor

Cut to 2025, Poorna still cherishes the bond that she created with Ranbir on the sets of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. In a recent interview with ANI, she recalled how Ranbir helped her produce her play Nirbhaya.

"I loved working with Ayan and Ranbir. It was such a privilege. It was such a gift...Right after I did Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewaani, I went and produced my own play called Nirbhaya. And Ranbir was its first investor. He was the first one who gave me money to get this play kicked off. And we toured that, we ended up touring that play globally for three years," Poorna shared.

"Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was an important movie for me to be part of because of my friendship with Ranbir and his generosity, my friendship with Ayaan. It had a significant impact on my life. It was an iconic movie," she added.

Recent work

Meanwhile, Poorna is currently being lauded for her role in the new show Deli Boys, a comedy about two Pakistani-American brothers (Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh) who unexpectedly inherit their father's illegal empire after his sudden death. Deli Boys, which hails from Onyx Collective and is produced by 20th Television, is currently streaming on JioHotstar.

Last seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, Ranbir is currently shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War and Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana.