Happy Birthday Ranveer Singh: The true blue Bollywood hero

Ranveer Singh can be summed up in three words - entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. No, that's not an exaggeration. He owns every good quality you want in an actor. Good looks? Check. Acting chops? Check. Energy? Double check. Sense of humour? Check. Articulate? Check. The man's got everything going for him.

A lot of people raised their eyebrows watching the first trailer of his 2010 film Band Baaja Baaraat. Who was this 'not-so-hero-looking' kid? Was he related to Aditya Chopra? Was he a yesteryear actor's son or nephew? His father is a businessman? Oh then he must have put money in the film to launch his son. All kinds of speculation surrounded Band Baaja Baaraat and its leading man. The film premiered, and it took the debutante precisely 140 minutes to prove to the audiences, he was no Jacky Bhagnani. He was better, cooler.

A lot of the audience members were pleasantly surprised to hear him in interviews. That 'Bittoo Sharma-Dalhi bwoy' accent wasn't how he actually spoke in real life. He was a suave, well-spoken Bandra boy. "Oh! So he was 'acting'?? OMG! OMG!" - it's funny how much mediocrity has settled in the veins of Bollywood, that *any* kind of effort to act is applauded.

Ranveer was an actor now. Nothing could change it. However, he was yet to become a brand. And he did not play it safe. He preached safety, in his own hip manner by endorsing a condom brand. In an industry, where all actors strive day and night to maintain the 'boy-next-door' image, Ranveer showed up at GQ's Best Dressed bash in pyjamas, a bright-red striped coat with a T-shirt which read 'No f%$#s to give.' He, did it again in a year, when he danced to promote a food brand with the tag-line 'My name is Ranveer Ching!'

Question mark on whether he could play anything but his up-beat self was answered with Vikramaditya Motwane's Lootera. The film based on O'Henry's classic short story The Last Leaf required his character to emulate a slow-burning flame. And he did. However, he came into his own in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. He gave a fearless performance as the foul-mouthed Gujarati Romeo. It's difficult to think of anyone else who could pull off a song like 'Tattad tattad'. Ranveer owned that song.

The actual moment when the Gunday actor won his fans were during his impromptu performances during interviews. Like that instance, when he broke into 'Jumma chumma de de' with Amitabh Bachchan in the middle of a quiz show. Or that time, when he showed up on Koffee with Karan with his supposed bff Arjun Kapoor and had the audience in splits for the entire duration of 42 minutes. What was cool about him, were his pop-culture references ranging from Tony Greig (Whadddaa playaa!) to Zoya Akhtar's cult-classic Luck By Chance (Volcano of talent).

The actor is a hit everywhere. He's had critical acclaim, his films have made money, he is almost unanimously liked by journalists and audience. He is every bit a 'Bollywood hero' and devours every second of it. Which is why it isn't surprising that his next film is being directed by the famously anonymous director Aditya Chopra.

Ranveer Singh is the hero we deserve, and also the actor that we need right now.