Born on July 6, 1985, Ranveer Singh's real name is Ranveer Bhavnani. Very few know that the actor dropped his surname because he felt 'It's too long and it's not a saleable commodity'. Ranveer then added 'Singh' to his name as his grandfather is Sikh (All pics/Ranveer Singh Instagram account)

Ranveer Singh always wanted to be an actor ever since he was a little kid. The actor has time and again confessed in various interviews of him saying, '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'

Ranveer has always acknowledged that he is a huge fan of Govinda and is inspired by everything from the 90s. He has even revealed how the 90s era shaped his taste, preferences, fashion, and even love for music because he was glued to the television while his friends and boys from the community were spending time outdoors!

Ranveer was quoted saying, "I am a 90's kid. Born in 1985, the 90s era is what defines me. Following everything from movies, music, pop culture, fashion and those are my formative years. Whatever you subscribe to, stays with you forever. I remember watching Zabaan Sambhalke, Dekh Bhai Dekh! Basically, I am TV ka bachcha, a product of television, a tv kid. When kids were outside, I was in front of the idiot box!"

He further added, "When I was not watching movies on VCR, I was watching Doordarshan. I remember waiting for Ramayan, Mahabharat, and Chhaya Geet. It was like an event for me. I used to work backwards from the telecast time"

"That's the decade for me. I used to watch TV all the time, non-stop which included WWF! Even when mom was watching Santa Barbara and The Bold and the Beautiful, I was totally hooked," said Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh is now the youngest superstar of the country having established his mark in Bollywood with back-to-back blockbusters in the past

However, Ranveer Singh also went through a certain phase during his college days where he started feeling that the idea of acting was far-fetched and that he should rather focus on creative writing

Ranveer Singh was pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University (Bloomington), where, yet again, the acting bug hit him! After coming back to India, he started auditioning for movies

When Ranveer came to Mumbai he became an Assistant Director. Meanwhile, the actor even started networking a little with people in the industry. He even did theatre, to get more insights into the field of acting. Though, Ranveer was very clear with his goals, he wanted to only act in mainstream Hindi movies

Ranveer Singh's journey as an aspiring actor is as interesting as his personality. When Ranveer went to meet directors, producers etc. they felt it was an advantage because he was a blank slate. But, at the same time, the disadvantage that the filmmakers auditioning him felt was that 'he is not a conventionally good-looking boy'

One fine day, Ranveer Singh finally got a call from YRF. His mentor and producer Aditya Chopra had clearly made him aware that he 'you have to act really well if you want people to like you'

Ranveer Singh, in an old interview with mid-day, had said, 'Ranbir Kapoor said no to 'Band Baaja Baraat'. YRF was looking for a new face I got a call and I knew this was the opportunity I was waiting for. I kept my face safe and didn't do modelling or music videos. And then I got a massive launch, essentially for an 'outsider', opposite a reasonably recognisable star Anushka Sharma'

Ranveer Singh's audition story is even more interesting. For his first audition, he was asked to enact a couple of scenes, but the second one required him to dance. Director of 'Band Baaja Baraat' - Maneesh Sharma rolled the camera and said pick your song. Ranveer by default chose - (yes you guessed one right) Anil Kapoor's 'My Name Is Lakhan' and Malaika Arora's 'Chaiya Chaiya'

Ranveer Singh's first film earned his praises with critics calling him the most 'Confident debut in recent times'. Recalling his success, Ranveer, in an old interview with mid-day said, 'When I first came into the limelight I was very nervous. I was famous three days after my first film was released. I didn't grow up around anybody famous so I was confused about how to deal with this beast. This fame or stardom hit me like a truck. I was struggling with that hit for three years till the time I got critical acclaim for 'Lootera' and critical/commercial success of Ram-Leela'

Since then, there was no looking back for the star! Be it 'Bajirao Mastani' or the portrayal of Allaudin Khilji in the year's most controversial and one of the highest-grossing films - 'Padmaavat', Ranveer Singh has managed to make a commendable mark in the industry

He has topped The Times 50 Most Desirable Men List of 2017, he even made his Hollywood debut this year with 'Deadpool 2' and the list goes on!

To sum it up, 2018 had been an eventful one for Ranveer. After garnering applause for playing the brutal Allaudin Khilji in 'Padmaavat', Ranveer Singh became the talk of the town, when he announced his wedding with Deepika Padukone. The actor got married in November and his film 'Simmba' became of the one highest-grossing films of 2018

Ranveer Singh's 'Gully Boy', which was released in 2018, earned positive reviews as well as good moolah at the Box Office. Later, the actor had '83', and 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar', which were suffered due to pandemic outbreak

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Ranveer!