This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2011)

Men's health refers to health issues specific to human male anatomy. These often relate to structures such as male genitalia or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, males.

In the UK, the Men's Health Forum was founded in 1994. It was established originally by the Royal College of Nursing but became completely independent of the RCN when it was established as a charity in 2001. The first National Men’s Health Week was held in the USA in 1994. The first UK week took place in 2002, and the event went international the following year. In 2005, the world’s first professor of men’s health, Alan White, was appointed at Leeds Metropolitan University in north-east England.

In Australia, the Men's Health Information and Resource Centre advocates a salutogenic approach to male health which focuses on the causal factors behind health. The Centre is led by Professor John Macdonald and was established in 1999. The Centre leads and executes Men's Health Week in Australia with core funding from the NSW Ministry of Health.

In 2000, the Toronto Men's Health Network was founded by Joe Jacobs, who helped bring attention to the importance of Men's Health in Canada's largest city. The organization has held Men's Health Forums annually, including 2005 where the guest speaker, Canadian Senator Dr. Wilbert Keon, spoke of the importance of men's cardiovascular health. The organization has since been chaired by Ted Kaiser, Elaine Sequeira, Dr. Don McCreary and Donald Blair. Presently, the organization is being led by James Hodgins. It remains the oldest and most recgonized Men's Health advocacy organization in Canada, with other organizations starting to appear in British Columbia and the Maritime provinces.

In the United States, men's health issues are raised by, among others, Men's Health Network (MHN). MHN is a non-profit educational organization comprising physicians, researchers, public health workers, other health professionals, and individuals. MHN is committed to improving the health and wellness of men, boys, and their families through education campaigns, data collection, surveys, toll-free hotlines, and work with health care providers. MHN conducts screenings in the workplace and at public venues, sponsors conferences and symposia, and promotes awareness periods such as Men's Health Month and Men’s Health Week.

See also[link]

• Andrology
• International Journal of Men's Health
• International Society For Men's Health & Gender
• International Men's Day November 19
• Men's Health Week
• Healthcare inequality
• Social determinants of health
• Health disparities

External links[link]

• Men's Health Network
• Health-EU Portal Men's health in the EU
• Men's Health Center
• Men's Health Information and Resource Centre (Australia)
• Hong Kong Men's Health Programme
• Men's Health Tips

Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler at the Berlin Film Festival 2011
Born	Gerard James Butler (1969-11-13) 13 November 1969 (age 42) Paisley, Scotland
Occupation	Actor/singer
Years active	1997–present

Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in the American miniseries Attila (2001). He garnered critical acclaim for his work as the lead in Joel Schumacher's 2004 film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera. In 2007, Butler gained recognition through his portrayal of King Leonidas in the film 300. Since then, he has appeared in projects including P.S. I Love You (2007), Nim's Island (2008), RocknRolla (2008), The Ugly Truth (2009), Gamer (2009), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), The Bounty Hunter (2010), and as a voice actor in How to Train Your Dragon (2010).

Early life[link]

Butler was born in Paisley, which is in Renfrewshire, Scotland,^[1] the youngest of three children of Margaret and Edward Butler, a bookmaker.^[2][3][4] Of Irish descent,^[5] he was brought up in a strict Roman Catholic family.^[6] Butler spent the first few years of his life in Montreal, Quebec,^[7] before the family returned to live in Scotland.^[8]

His mother Margret Butler returned from Quebec when her marriage broke down, when Gerard was aged 18 months.^[9] He attended High School in Paisley, achieved respectable grades - good enough to win a place at Glasgow University to study law - and rose to position of Head Boy at St Mirin's High School. He also attended Scottish Youth Theater whilst a teen. He did not see his father again until he was 16 years old, when Edward Butler called to meet him at a Glasgow restaurant. After this meeting, Butler cried for hours, and recalled of it later:

"That emotion showed me how much pain can sit in this body of yours; pain and sorrow that you don’t know you have until it is unleashed."^[9]

Butler came close to his father after this reunion, and accepted his offer to study law at Glasgow University. During his time as a student, he became the convener of the Law Society^[10] and sang in a rock band called Speed.^[11][12] He would ultimateley graduate with a 2-2 LLB degree in 1991.

Whilst a 22 year old student, his father was diagnosed with cancer, and died. This caused Butler's lifestyle to spiral out of control. He would say of this period in his life:

"I had gone from a 16-year-old who couldn’t wait to grasp life to a 22-year-old who didn’t care if he died in his sleep."^[13]

Upon graduation, he won a position as a trainee lawyer at an Edinburgh law firm. However, his lifestyle remained unrestrained and he frequently missed work due to his partying antics. One week before he qualified as a lawyer, he was fired.

Now, aged 25, and an unqualified lawyer, Butler moved to London to pursue his dream of becoming famous. He admitted,

"When I started out, I'm not sure I was actually in it for the right reasons. I wanted very much to be famous."^[9]

Unable to win any acting roles immediately, he was forced to accept blue collar jobs, which included being a waiter, a telemarketer and a demonstrator of how toys work at fairs. Whilst in London, he met an old friend from his teenage days in the Scottish Youth Theater, who was now a London casting agent, and was for a time her boyfriend and her assistant. She took him to an audition for Steven Berkoff's play of Coriolanus.^[10] The director said of Butler's audition:

"When he read, he had such vigour and enthusiasm – so much that it made the other actors seem limp – that I decided to cast him in the ensemble."^[13]

Now aged 27, Butler had his first professional acting job. Less than a year later, he won a part in a theater adaptation of Trainspotting, which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival. By age 30, Butler decided to move to Los Angeles to make it in the big league; where he won parts in Dracula 2000, Tomb Raider 2, Dear Frankie, and Phantom of the Opera. The director Vadim Jean said:

"I have never seen anybody work so hard to make their career happen."^[13]

Despite the early yearnings for fame, Butler would tell London's Daily Telegraph in a 2009 interview, when aged 39:

"I did expect to succeed and I did have faith that I would. In reality, though, it has turned out to be something very different to what I wanted. It’s the work and not the adulation that has proved to be the most fulfilling."^[13]

Career[link]

In London, Butler held a series of odd jobs until being cast by actor and director Steven Berkoff (who later appeared alongside him in Attila (2001)) in a stage production of Coriolanus. He was cast as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting, the same play that had inspired him to become an actor. His film debut was as Billy Connolly's character's younger brother in Mrs. Brown (1997).

His film career continued with small roles, first in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and then Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, Butler was cast in two breakthrough roles, the first being Attila the Hun in USA film Attila (2001/I) (TV). The film's producers wanted a known actor to play the part but kept coming back to Butler's screen tests and decided he was their man. He was cast as Dracula in Dracula 2000 (2000).

He then appeared in Reign of Fire (2002) as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) as Terry Sheridan, alongside Angelina Jolie. In the role of Andre Marek in the big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline (2003), Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back in time with a team of students to rescue a colleague.

In 2003, director Joel Schumacher was deciding on the principal casting for the film The Phantom of the Opera, a film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name, and thought of Butler, whom he had seen earlier in the film Dracula 2000, to play the title character. Butler, who had had no musical experience other than singing in a rock band while he was studying to be a lawyer, was surprised at the interest, but immediately began taking singing lessons with a vocal coach.^[14] He then did an acting audition with Schumacher, and a singing audition with Lloyd Webber, both of whom were impressed by his performance.^[15] Despite the film receiving mixed reviews, Butler was praised for his performance.

Other projects that followed include Dear Frankie (2005), The Game of Their Lives (2005) and Beowulf & Grendel (2005).

In 2007, he starred as Spartan King Leonidas in the Warner Bros. production 300, which is often described as his breakthrough role.^[16] Butler, who said he "wanted to look really strong" in the film, trained with a high-intensity workout for four months prior to the film's shooting.^[17]

Gerard Butler on the set of the film, The Bounty Hunter, 2010

In 2007, he also appeared in Butterfly on a Wheel co-starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello, which aired on network TV under the title Shattered, and in the romantic comedy P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank. In 2008, he appeared in Nim's Island and RocknRolla. In 2009, he starred in the Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor film Gamer, The Ugly Truth and Law Abiding Citizen, which he also co-produced. In 2010 he starred in the action/comedy The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston, and did a voice-over in the 2010 animated film How to Train Your Dragon as Stoick the Vast.

On 15 and 16 October 2010, thanks to the popularity of his role as Spartan King Leonidas and the use of his lines during athletic events at Michigan State University, he was a guest at their Midnight Madness and homecoming football game, respectively.

On 18 December 2011, while filming Of Men and Mavericks, Butler was hospitalised after he was pulled under big waves. A safety patrolman spotted Butler and quickly rushed to his aid. He was taken to Stanford University Medical Center where he was observed and then later released.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Butler has been open in interviews about struggling with alcoholism. In February 2012, Butler's publicist announced that Butler had completed a course of treatment for substance abuse of pain killers, at a rehab-centre.^[19] This was after Butler was concerned he was too reliant on prescribed pain relief medication which escalated when he was involved in a surfing incident before Christmas 2011.^[19][20][21]

A fan of the Glasgow football club Celtic F.C. and played a charity match with them in 2011, Butler regularly attended Celtic Park as a supporter, but has found that moving to Hollywood can be a problem when trying to keep up with the results due to the time difference between Los Angeles and Glasgow.^[22]

Despite his sometimes turbulent personal life and the often violent characters he plays, Butler is well known to be a kind and very nice person in real life. He is known to be very friendly with fans and co-workers, and socializes with everyone on set.

Filmography[link]

Butler at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gerard Butler

• Gerard Butler at the Internet Movie Database

Sergio Ramos

Ramos in action for Real Madrid
Personal information
Full name	Sergio Ramos García
Date of birth	(1986-03-30) 30 March 1986 (age 26)
Place of birth	Camas, Spain
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Real Madrid
Number	4
Youth career
1996–2003	Sevilla
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2004	Sevilla B	25	(2)
2004–2005	Sevilla	39	(2)
2005–	Real Madrid	229	(28)
National team‡
2002	Spain U17	1	(0)
2004	Spain U19	6	(0)
2004	Spain U21	6	(0)
2005–	Spain	85	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:03, 13 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:00, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

Sergio Ramos García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo ˈramoz ɡaɾˈθi.a]; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Madrid and the Spain national football team. Mainly a central defender, he can perform equally as a right back.

After emerging through Sevilla's youth system, he went on to be a defensive mainstay for both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, gaining his first cap at the age of 18.

Club career[link]

Sevilla[link]

Born in Camas, Seville, Andalusia, Ramos began his career at local side Sevilla FC, emerging through the club's youth system alongside Jesús Navas and Antonio Puerta. He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 1 February 2004, coming on as a second half substitute in a 0–1 away loss against Deportivo de La Coruña.

In the 2004–05 season, Ramos appeared in 31 games as Sevilla finished sixth and qualified to the UEFA Cup, scoring in home fixtures against Real Sociedad (2–1)^[1] and Real Madrid (2–2).^[2]

Real Madrid[link]

Ramos (in white) against Valencia.

Ramos celebrates with his teammates.

In the summer of 2005, 19-year old Ramos was purchased by Real Madrid for €27 million, a record for a Spanish teenager.^[3] He was the only Spanish player brought in during Florentino Pérez first stint as Real Madrid president.

At the club, Ramos was awarded the number 4 shirt, previously worn by Fernando Hierro. On 6 December 2005 he netted his first goal for the Merengues, in a 2–3 UEFA Champions League group stage loss at Olympiacos FC.^[4]

During his first seasons, Ramos played as centre back, being also used as an emergency defensive midfielder on occasion. However, with the arrival of Christoph Metzelder and Pepe in the 2007–08 season, he was again relocated to right back, whilst displaying a goalscoring instinct unusual to many defenders, netting more than 20 overall goals in Real Madrid's shirt during his first four seasons combined. On 4 May 2008, Ramos assisted Gonzalo Higuaín in the 89th minute against CA Osasuna in an eventual 2–1 away win, the match that sealed Real Madrid's 31st league championship; on the final day of the season, he scored twice in a 5–2 home win against already relegated Levante UD, one through a header and another after an individual effort, taking his league tally to five.^[5]

Ramos scored a vital goal in the Spanish Supercup contest against Valencia CF, making it 2–1 to and 4–4 on aggregate in an eventual 4–2 win (6–5), despite the fact Real Madrid playing with only nine men for a long period of time. Although he experienced a slight dip in form, he returned to his best and on 11 January 2009, netted on an acrobatic volley against RCD Mallorca (3–0 away triumph),^[6] continuing his scoring run in the following week, in a 3–1 home win against Osasuna.^[7]

Ramos was named in both FIFA and UEFA's 1754 Team of the Year, adding the FIFPro Team of the Year 2007–08 accolade. He also finished 21st in the European Player of the Year nomination for 2008.^[8]

Just at the start of the 2009–10 season, Ramos was appointed as one of Real Madrid's four captains of Real Madrid. As Pepe suffered a serious knee injury during the campaign, he was often deployed as central defender, and scored four goals in 33 league contests, but the team eventually came out empty in silverware. On 21 February 2010, he played his 200th official match for the capital team against Villarreal CF (150 in the first division).

In Real Madrid's 0–5 loss at FC Barcelona on 29 November 2010, Ramos was sent off after kicking Lionel Messi from behind, then pushing Carles Puyol in the ensuing melée.^[9] After this ejection, he equalled Fernando Hierro's previous record for red cards at the club, having played in 264 fewer games.^[10]

On 20 April 2011, Ramos started in the season's Copa del Rey final, a 1–0 win against Barcelona in Valencia. In the subsequent victory procession, while celebrating on the top of the club's bus, he accidentally lost hold of the cup, which fell under the wheels of the vehicle; the trophy was dented as a result.^[11]

On 12 July 2011, Ramos extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2017.^[12] Early into the season, he profitted from an injury to Ricardo Carvalho to return to his more natural position as stopper.

On 25 April 2012, in the Champions League semifinals' second leg against FC Bayern Munich, Ramos missed his penalty shootout attempt, shooting well wide over the bar. Real Madrid went on to lose 1–3 and be eliminated.^[13]

International career[link]

Ramos (#15) lining up for Spain against Sweden at Euro 2008.

In 2004, Ramos became an instant hit for Spain's under-21, for who he played six international matches. On 26 March 2005, in a 3–0 friendly win over China in Salamanca, he first appeared for the senior side at only 18 years and 361 days of age, making him the youngest player to play for the national team in the last 55 years (he held this record until it was broken by Barcelona's Cesc Fàbregas).

Just seven months later, Ramos scored his first two international goals in a 6–0 away thrashing of San Marino for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was selected for the final stages in Germany and, after the international retirement of Real Madrid teammate Míchel Salgado, became the undisputed first-choice right back.

Throughout Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Ramos was a regular member of the starting eleven as the national side finished first in its group, above Sweden. He scored two goals, including one in a 3–1 away win over Denmark, in 11 appearances.

In the tournament's final stages, Ramos played in all matches and minutes, except the 2–1 group stage win against Greece. In the final, his pass nearly set up Marcos Senna's first international goal, but the latter barely missed it by inches. During the celebrations after the 1–0 defeat of Germany, he wore a T-shirt in honor of close friend and former Sevilla teammate Puerta, who died in August 2007.^[14][15]

Ramos was selected in the squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, as Spain finished in third position. At the 2010 World Cup, held in the same country, he started every game, helping the team keep five clean sheets and reach the final, which they won 1–0 against the Netherlands; he topped the tournament's Castrol Performance Index with a score of 9.79.^[16]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	13 October 2005	Stadio Olimpico, San Marino, San Marino	San Marino	0–3	0–6	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	13 October 2005	Stadio Olimpico, San Marino, San Marino	San Marino	0–4	0–6	2006 World Cup qualification
3.	13 October 2007	Atletion, Aarhus, Denmark	Denmark	0–2	1–3	Euro 2008 qualifying
4.	17 November 2007	Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain	Sweden	3–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualifying
5.	3 March 2010	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	France	0–2	0–2	Friendly
6.	6 September 2011	Estadio Las Gaunas, Logroño, Spain	Liechtenstein	4–0	6–0	Euro 2012 qualifying

Statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 13 May 2012 (2012 -05-13)^[update]

¹ Includes Supercopa de España.

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12
• Copa del Rey: 2010–11
• Supercopa de España: 2008; Runner-up 2011

Country[link]

Spain U–19

• UEFA U-19 Championship: 2004

Spain

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• UEFA European Championship: 2008
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Individual[link]

• La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2005
• ESM Team of the year: 2007–08
• FIFA/FIFPro World XI: 2008, 2011
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2008
• 2010 FIFA World Cup: Castrol Index Winner^[17]
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sergio Ramos

• Real Madrid official profile
• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile
• Sergio Ramos at National-Football-Teams.com
• Sergio Ramos – FIFA competition record
• Sergio Ramos – UEFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile
• Official website (Spanish)

Spain squads v t e Spain squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Casillas 2 Salgado 3 Pernía 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Albelda 7 Raúl (c) 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Reyes 11 Luis García 12 A. López 13 Iniesta 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Senna 17 Joaquín 18 Fàbregas 19 Cañizares 20 Juanito 21 Villa 22 Ibáñez 23 Reina Coach: Aragonés v t e Spain squad – UEFA Euro 2008 Winners (2nd Title) 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Navarro 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Iniesta 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Cazorla 13 Palop 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 García 17 Güiza 18 Arbeloa 19 Senna 20 Juanito 21 Silva 22 De la Red 23 Reina Coach: Aragonés v t e Spain squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Pablo 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Busquets 13 López 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Llorente 17 Güiza 18 Riera 19 Arbeloa 20 Cazorla 21 Silva 22 Mata 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque v t e Spain squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup Winners (1st Title) 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Iniesta 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Valdés 13 Mata 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Busquets 17 Arbeloa 18 Pedro 19 Llorente 20 Martínez 21 Silva 22 Navas 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque v t e Spain squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Martínez 5 Juanfran 6 Iniesta 7 Pedro 8 Xavi 9 Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Negredo 12 Valdés 13 Mata 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Busquets 17 Arbeloa 18 Jordi Alba 19 Llorente 20 Cazorla 21 Silva 22 Navas 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque

Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh in 2012.
Born	Ranveer Singh Bhavnani (1985-07-06) 6 July 1985 (age 26) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2010–present

Ranveer Singh(born Ranveer Singh Bhavnani on 6 July 1985) is an Indian actor working in Bollywood. Born in Mumbai, India, Ranveer Singh had always wanted to be an actor since his childhood. However, during his college days he felt that the idea of acting was far-fetched and focused on creative writing. While pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University (Bloomington), Singh again became interested in acting and after coming back to India, he started auditioning for lead roles in the Hindi film industry.

In 2010, Singh auditioned for the lead role in the Yash Raj Films venture called Band Baaja Baaraat, and got selected. The romantic comedy was set in the world of wedding planning and required Singh to portray a typical Delhi guy called Bittoo Sharma. The director of the film, Maneesh Sharma, sent him to the Delhi University campus during the recce of the film, and from there Singh drew his inspiration for the character. After its release, Band Baaja Baaraat became a critical and commercial success, with Singh's portrayal of Bittoo being lauded by critics. He went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut award at the 56th Filmfare Awards.

Life and career[link]

1985–2007: Early life and beginning[link]

Ranveer Singh was born Ranveer Singh Bhavnani^[1][2] on July 6, 1985, in Mumbai, India.^[3][4] Singh had always wanted to be an actor, and after joining school he started participating in the school plays and debates.^[5] Once when he had gone for a birthday party, his grandmother asked him to dance and entertain her.^[6] Singh remembers that he suddenly jumped in the lawn and started dancing to the song "Chumma Chumma" from the 1991 Bollywood action film, Hum.^[5] He felt the thrill of performing and was interested in acting and dancing.^[5] "I always wanted to be an actor ever since I was a little kid. I knew that I had to do something related to performing arts and I enjoyed acting the most as it incorporated so many different art forms. I must say, I was a very filmy kid. I used to watch a lot of TV and get very influenced by Bollywood", he recalls.^[4][6] However, after he joined junior college at H.R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, Singh realised that getting a break in the film industry was not at all easy, as it was mostly people with a filmy background who got the prime opportunities in Bollywood. Feeling that the idea of acting was "too far-fetched", Singh focussed on his second passion, that of creative writing.^[5] He moved to the United States to pursue his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.^[4]

While there, he decided to pursue acting classes besides studying. On the first day, the instructor asked him to do an impromptu act. Singh was again convinced that performing arts and acting was what he wanted to do, and took up theatre as his minor.^[5] After completing his studies and coming back to Mumbai in 2007, Singh worked for a few years in advertising as a copywriter, with agencies like O&M and JWT.^[4][6] Then he started working as an Assistant Director, but left it to pursue acting seriously. He decided to send his portfolio to directors.^[6] "My ambition was always to bag a lead role in a film and hence I refrained from doing any ads, TV serials, music videos as I felt that a fresh face always works much better. It was a gamble and I took that gamble telling myself that I will give it my all to bag a lead role", he says. For the next three years, Singh went to producer's offices, showing his pictures and asking for work.^[6] He would go for all kinds of auditions, but did not get any good opportunities, while only getting calls for minor roles once in every four or five months. "Everything was so bleak. It was very frustrating. There were times I would think whether I was doing the right thing or not."^[6]

2008–10: Debut in films and Band Baaja Baaraat[link]

Singh at a promotional event for Band Baaja Baaraat

After three and a half years, finally in January 2010, Singh was called for an audition for Yash Raj Films (YRF) by Shanoo Sharma, the head of the casting division for the entertainment company.^[6] They informed him that it was for a lead role in their venture titled Band Baaja Baaraat, the film being a romantic comedy set in the world of wedding planning. Singh went to Yash Raj for his audition, and was asked to perform two scenes. Singh added, "I was surprised because I knew Yash Raj does not launch new heroes. But I knew they were legitimate and I knew this would be the biggest and most important audition I would ever be giving."^[6] Aditya Chopra, the Vice President of YRF, later saw the audition tapes on video and was impressed by Singh's acting, and decided that he fit the part of Bittoo Sharma, the hero of the film.^[7] However, the director Maneesh Sharma needed some more convincing and he was called for a few more auditions over the next two weeks until they were completely convinced in his calibre.^[4] Sharma would meet him and try to analyze different facets of his personality by asking him to dance, act out emotional scenes, reading with co-actors, reading with the writer as well as camera tests.^[6] After the two weeks of testing, Singh was confirmed for the role of Bittoo, with Anushka Sharma playing the female lead.^[7]

Shooting started for Band Baaja Baarat in February 2010, with a release date of December 10, 2010.^[8] Singh described the role of Bittoo Sharma as "your typical Delhi University ka launda. He is a loafer who is not interested one bit in studies. All he does is fool around with his friends in and around college and do a lot of awaragardi. He is a very chilled out guy full of masti who has no worry whatsoever about his future or career."^[4] When Sharma was narrating the script to him, Singh had already decided how he wanted to play the part of Bittoo. But Sharma's biggest concern was that Singh acted well and looked like a boy from Delhi, but did not know much about the life in that city to convincingly portray Bittoo. Hence during the recce he sent him to stay at the campus of Delhi University.^[5] Singh made friends with the students there, and hung out with them thereby getting an idea of how the guys in Delhi behave and how they lead their life. He explained: "Interestingly, I met this guy who was very close to Bittoo. He had the swagger, the way he dressed, spoke, I knew when I met him for the first time, I knew he was my guy. So I studied him for a few days, hung out with him and have made Bittoo like him. He had the attitude and energy of Bittoo. I knew this is as Bittoo as it gets! He was crucial in my preparation of Bittoo!"^[5]

Filming ended in September 2010, with post-production continuing and promotions starting in October. Singh did a number of promotional campaigns, alongside his co-stars and the director, including going to the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and taking part in their annual festival.^[6] Prior to Band Baaja Baaraat's release, some pundits had expressed doubts that the film would be successful, citing the middling response to Yash Raj Films' last few productions, the lack of a male star and the fact that the female lead, Anushka Sharma, was by then an "almost-forgotten" actress.^[9] However, after its release, Band Baaja Baaraat went on to become a critical and commercial success. Singh's portrayal of Bittoo was lauded. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama commented: "Debutant Ranveer is the lifeline of [the film]. In fact, the youngster adds a lot of spontaneity and sparkle to his character, which is unsophisticated, but charming. He actually catches you unaware in the emotional moments, which he enacts so well. Here's a talent you just can't disregard."^[10] Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India gave the film three out of five stars, while noting that "As long as you view Band Baaja Baaraat as a loving, heartfelt take on what makes Delhi go dhak-dhak, the film holds your attention....Performance-wise, the duo do have a spontaneity that is disarming."^[11] Box Office India website reported that the film grossed approximately  21.44 crore after five weeks, making it a box office success.^[12] At the 56th Filmfare Awards, Singh won the award for Best Male Debut.^[13]

2011–present: Continuing in other roles[link]

Following Band Baaja Baarat, Singh signed his second film titled Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, produced by Chopra and directed by Maneesh Sharma. The film was described as a fun-filled 'rom-con' where a smooth and charming conman Ricky Bahl, played by Singh, cons girls for a living but finally meets his match. It also stars Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma and Aditi Sharma, and started filming in April 2011 in Delhi.^[14] According to Singh, the title character has various avatars in the film, including a chirpy, entertaining side and a sinister side. "There's a lot of meat in the character and I’m on my toes prepping for it. A crew member who read the script described it accurately when he said 'it's a kicky film'. Now I know there is no word like 'kicky' but when you see the film you'll know what it means," Singh further explained.^[1] Upon its release on December 9, 2011, the film received mixed reviews. Both Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama and Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India gave the film a rating of three out of five stars. Adarsh said that "Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl is a decent fare, which appeals in parts. The film starts well, even ends well. It's the in between that's plain ordinary. Ideally, the film merits a two-and-a-half star rating, but that extra half star is for Ranveer and Anushka, who steal your heart with truly striking performances.^[15] Kazmi felt that "there is no humor, no earthy flavor, no tingling chemistry between the lead pair. What does work in favor of the film are its performances and its non-hysterical tenor. The girls are a spirited lot and Ranveer is, well Ranveer: your average Joe kind of hero who looks convincing enough as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal, Ricky, his sundry avatars."^[16] Commercially, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl had a mixed first day, with many places recording low first day collections but some multiplexes recording 50–60% occupancy. Overall, the film managed to have a decent opening of  4.75 crores.^[17]

While post-production was going on for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Singh signed his third feature film titled Lootera. Written and to be directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, the film is a love story set in the 1950s, starring Sonakshi Sinha opposite to Singh.^[18] As the shooting started for Lootera, The Times of India confirmed that Singh had signed the lead role in the remake of the 2009 Telugu film, Magadheera. Helmed by producer Vikas Bahl and director Abhinav Kashyap, it is a historic love story set against the backdrop of 17th century India; the film is said to have an estimated budget of  50 crore. Bahl commented that "Ranveer is the best thing that could have happened to it. He has all the ingredients to be a passionate lover, a warrior and an entertainer, all at the same time."^[19]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]