Ranbir Kapoor Plans Directorial Debut Within 2-3 Years

Ranbir Kapoor is getting ready for a second act. The actor, currently on screen as Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana: Part 1, told BBC Asian News Network that he hopes to start directing within the next two or three years.

He was speaking alongside co-star Sai Pallavi during the film’s promotional run. Ranbir said he began writing a script a couple of months ago and was surprised by how difficult the process is.

“I have so much respect for writers and creators,” he said.

The kind of film he wants to make

The actor is not fixed on one genre. He is drawn to slice-of-life storytelling and wants his first directorial outing to feel like a warm, feel-good family drama. He cited Life is Beautiful, It’s a Wonderful Life and Rajkumar Hirani’s films as the bracket he hopes to land in.

His reasoning is simple: while an actor delivers a shot and waits for the next scene, a director stays engaged with the whole story from start to finish. In his words, “After a musician, if there’s somebody who feels a creative high, it’s the director.”

Sequels come first

The move behind the camera will not happen immediately. Ranbir has three big follow-ups in the pipeline, and he wants to complete them before starting his own film:

• Brahmastra 2 — the continuation of the fantasy film.
• Animal 2 — the sequel to the crime drama.
• Ramayana Part 2 — the next chapter of the epic currently in cinemas.

He also said he works only 100–125 days a year, so there is time to write between shoots. That cadence, he explained, is why he has never felt “so busy” or “so committed” — and why he believes this could be his last decade as an actor.

What this means for fans

This is more than a casual ambition. It is a clear pivot strategy from one of Bollywood’s most bankable male stars. If Ranbir follows through, his directorial debut would arrive after he completes his current franchise commitments, setting up a long run as a storyteller rather than only a leading man.

Before that, audiences will see him in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Love & War, co-starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. The film is set for release on January 21, 2027.

For Bollywood fans, the timeline matters because it reframes the next few years. The sequels are not just franchise commitments; they are stepping stones to the director’s chair.

Ramayana: Part 1, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, released on November 5 with Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Raavana and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman.

Source: The Times of India