Ranbir Kapoor praises ‘veteran’ Deepika Padukone: ‘Don’t think I have ever been so surprised by an actor’

Ranbir Kapoor said he was ‘impressed’ with Deepika Padukone’s ‘growth as an actor'. The two have worked together in films like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Tamasha, and also dated briefly after their first film together.

Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor have worked together in a number of films. In a new interview Ranbir spoke about how the two started their career around the same time, and how far Deepika had come as an actor. He said one of their most famous scenes together in the 2015 film Tamasha was ‘championed by Deepika’s performance’. The actor also said the two have ‘always had such a good time working’ together.

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in a still from their 2015 film Tamasha.

Ranbir will be seen next in Shamshera with Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. The actor has been busy promoting his film, which releases on July 22. In a new interview, Ranbir spoke about his journey in films – he made his acting debut alongside Sonam Kapoor in the 2007 film Saawariya – and also shared his experience filming some of his most famous scenes.

During an interview with Brut India, Ranbir spoke about a scene from the song Agar Tum Sath Ho from Tamasha. Sharing how the scene belonged to Deepika Padukone, Ranbir said, “(It) was championed by Deepika’s performance. There are certain scenes that tilt towards an actor’s character, and the scene really had my character arch because he was churning, he was going through something. But I think the way Deepika performed it, what Deepika brought to the table, she made it come alive because you really felt pain. And because of that it was such a reactive scene. What I was doing, she was reacting, what she was doing, I was reacting.”

Ranbir further spoke about his equation with Deepika and said the two ‘always had such a good time working’. He said she had ‘grown so much as an actor’, and that he was ‘surprised’ by her growth, when they worked together on Tamasha.

“I’ve always had such a good time working with Deepika because we started off together. She’s grown so much as an actor, we did our second film together, called Bachna Ae Haseeno. And I worked with her again on Yeh Jawani hai Deewani. I don’t think I have ever been so surprised by an actor’s growth. Because I know Deepika so closely, I was so impressed. By the time we reached Tamasha, she was a veteran, you know, and she was surprising me with each shot, and everything she was doing,” Ranbir said.

Ranbir and Deepika dated from 2008-09 after meeting on the sets of Bachna Ae Haseeno. In a 2010 interview, Deepika accused Ranbir of infidelity. Deepika married actor Ranveer Singh in November 2018, while Ranbir married Alia Bhatt in April 2022.