Rajkumar Hirani reveals how Ranbir Kapoor worked on Sanju without an entourage; says, “I managed the entire film without even knowing who his manager was”

July 2, 2026 - 1:05 PM IST

The rising cost of actors’ entourages has become a recurring talking point in Bollywood, but filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani says Ranbir Kapoor stands apart from that trend entirely.

Rajkumar Hirani reveals how Ranbir Kapoor worked on Sanju without an entourage; says, “I managed the entire film without even knowing who his manager was”

In an interview with Zoom, Hirani said he has largely been spared entourage-related demands across his career. “I’ve been fortunate with the individuals I’ve worked with. I haven’t encountered entourage issues with Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, and with Ranbir Kapoor,” he said.

No entourage on the Sanju set

Recalling his experience of directing Kapoor in the 2018 film Sanju, Hirani said he finished the entire shoot without ever learning the identity of the actor’s manager. “I managed the entire film without even knowing who his manager was. There was no manager; he personally reached out to everyone. Every assistant had his contact. Anything he needed, he would directly message everyone. However, I do hear stories about entourages, and sometimes there can be an excess of people,” he said.

Hirani is not the only collaborator to have noted this about Kapoor. Animal actor Srinath Maganti made a similar observation on the Sodhi Chebutha podcast, recalling that Kapoor arrives on set without a team of assistants and instead brings snacks to share with everyone present. Maganti described being corrected by a crew member for taking a snack meant for Kapoor, only for the actor himself to overhear and insist he be allowed to eat, in what Maganti described as good-natured ribbing rather than any real irritation.

Next up: Ramayana

Kapoor’s next release is Ramayana, produced by Namit Malhotra and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, who previously helmed Aamir Khan’s Dangal. Reportedly budgeted at Rs 4,000 crores, Ramayana is said to be the most expensive Indian film ever made.

The two-part epic also stars Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, and Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman, with Kapoor playing Lord Rama. Its first instalment is scheduled to reportedly release a week before Diwali 2026, with the second part following on Diwali 2027, closing out what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched releases of the year.

Also Read: Rajkumar Hirani reveals Ranbir Kapoor reported at 3 am for a 7 am shoot during Sanju; says, “It used to take him 4–5 hours for makeup, but he never complained”