At 30, life is sweet as Barfi for Ranbir

Ranbir Kapoor, who has just received a Rs 100 crore Barfi as a birthday gift, couldn't have asked for a better birthday present as he turns 30. He is receiving praise in abundance for his latest release, which is also India's official entry for the Oscars, and is all geared up for his next movie Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani opposite ex-flame Deepika Padukone, out in January next year.

We take a look at some milestones in this Rockstar's life as he adds another year to his promising career and life.

Ranbir Kapoor was born on September 28, 1982 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is the son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. He has a sibling, an elder sister, Riddhima Kapoor, who is married to businessman Bharat Sahni.

Ranbir has had a filmy upbringing and quite literally.

He is the grandson of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, grandnephew of actors and filmmakers, Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, nephew of actor Randhir Kapoor and great grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor.

And if you thought that was half of yesteryear's biggest heroes, there are celebrated actresses in the family too. Ranbir has two illustrious actress cousins in the form of Karisma Kapur and Kareena Kapoor. Their mother, his aunt-by-marriage, Babita was also a well-known actress in her time as was his late grandaunt-by-marriage, Geeta Bali who was married to Shammi Kapoor.

Ranbir shares a very close bond with his elder sister Riddhima. Riddhima, who is a jewellery designer, married Delhi based garment exporter Bharat Sahni in 2006.

Ranbir Kapoor studied at Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, Mumbai. He later went on to pursue method acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. Before turning to acting, Ranbir learned the craft of filmmaking as an assistant with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and was involved in the making of the critically acclaimed 2005 film Black.

He debuted opposite Sonam Kapoor in the 2007 film Saawariya which turned out to be a box office disaster.

2009 brought good news for the Kapoor scion. That year he appeared in the critically and commercially successful films like Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.

In the former, a coming-of-age film, Ranbir delivered a layered performance, while his chemistry with Katrina and melodious music set the cash registers ringing at the box office for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.

The following year would see things get only better. In 2010, Ranbir delivered his biggest commercial hit till then with multi-starrer blockbuster, Raajneeti. Though his other film Anjaana Anjaani was panned by critics and fans alike, Ranbir Kapoor's chemistry with co-star Priyanka Chopra hogged the limelight.

Coming up: The love life of the reigning Casanova of Bollywood…

In school, Ranbir was said to be smitten by classmate Avantika Malik and was later seen hanging around the sets of Just Mohabbat, a show that aired on Sony in the 1990s, starring Avantika, and produced by her mother Vandana Malik.

After spending a considerable time together, they finally called it quits, and Avantika moved on to Imran Khan. The two got married in January last year.

Rumours of a romance with Sawaariya co-star Sonam Kapoor never graduated to more than whispers, though Sonam has taken potshots at Ranbir publicly.

On the show Koffee with Karan, she called him “unsexy” and went on to add that she had “seen it all during the shooting of Saawariya when he dropped the towel for the infamous scene”, and “wasn't interested anymore”.

She also ridiculed his fashion sense and let Ranbir's ex-girlfriend Deepika Padukone, who was also on the show, know that she found it admirable that Deepika held on to Ranbir for so long. She ended by saying that Ranbir “badly needed a stylist” and that he is a “terrible boyfriend and he can never stay faithful”.

In March 2008, Ranbir confessed that he was dating his Bachna Ae Haseeno co-star, Deepika Padukone.

Many believed it was a match made in heaven and even predicted a walk down the aisle. But, sadly, it wasn't meant to be. The relationship ended with Deepika accusing Ranbir of infidelity and told the watching world on the infamous Koffee With Karan episode that she'd like to gift her now ex-boyfriend a pack of condoms.

After two years, Ranbir and Deepika seem to let bygones be bygones and are set to return to the silver screen with Dharma Productions' Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. The film will be released in January this year and has been directed by Ayan Mukerji of Wake Up Sid fame.

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is Ranbir and Ayan's second outing with Dharma Productions.

Many quarters in Bollywood placed the blame for the Ranbir-Deepika break up squarely on Katrina Kaif's slim shoulders. Katrina, then dating Salman Khan, and Ranbir allegedly hit it off while filming Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani, and started a relationship. They never confessed to dating but reported public displays of affection, notably on-board a flight, and a memorable occasion when taxmen arrived at Katrina's apartment to find Ranbir fed relationship rumours. Cut to the present and gossip says Ranbir may be back with Katrina Kaif.

Ranbir Kapoor is also said to have dated Kingfisher hottie Angela Jonsson, whom he met in a bar in Mumbai. The couple were also spotted together at Anushka Sharma's birthday bash earlier this year.

The duo were seen together on many occasions. Angela was also said to have purchased an apartment in Bandra, close to Ranbir's house. But just when it seemed that Angela had stolen Ranbir's heart for good, Casanova Kapoor put on his dating shoes and shooed her away for good! While the cause for their break-up is unknown, the actress has gone on the record to clear the air.

"I need to set the record straight once and for all. Yes, Ranbir and I have dated. We have gone out to dinner like two normal adults in the city,” the model turned actress said.

Speculation suggests that Rockstar heroine Nargis Fakhri was the reason behind the bust-up. But even before the grapevine could spread the word about Ranbir's newest girl, it was over.

While his dating history may be colourful, to say the least, there is no doubting the fact that Ranbir Kapoor is the leading light among his generation in Bollywood. Unafraid to experiment with his roles, Ranbir has often said he wasn't to be an actor as opposed to a star. He has risen to the histrionic demands of films like Raajneeti and Rockstar, receiving a Filmfare Best Actor nomination for the first and winning it for the second.

We wish Ranbir Kapoor a very happy 30th birthday.