Bollywood superstar gave a career-defining hit but became completely 'sad' after it: 'I was empty...'

Behind the glitz of stardom and the applause for a performance that defined an era, one of Bollywood’s top actors found himself in an unexpected emotional void. After delivering what would become one of the biggest and most powerful films of his career, the superstar revealed that he felt drained, uninspired, and disconnected from life. It was only after his next film — a much lighter one — that he began to feel like himself again.

When success left him feeling hollow
In an old interview with The Bombay Interview Podcast (TBIP), Ranbir Kapoor opened up about the period following his acclaimed performance in Rockstar (2011). The emotionally charged role, which explored love, loss, and artistic pain, had left a lasting mark on him — one that went far beyond the screen.

He recalled, “I just was uninspired. Not saying that, oh, I’ve done such a great work, I was simply uninspired. I just didn’t have anything in me. I stopped hanging out with my parents. I used to just be like a vegetable lying on my bed, not watching TV. I started to read a lot, a lot of biographies. But I was… I was empty. You know, I was sad. I was… I don’t know what it was. It was sad that such a special film was over. It was sad because I gave so much to it. And I started questioning myself, do I have more to give somewhere else?”

For Ranbir, Rockstar became both a professional milestone and a personal test. The film, directed by Imtiaz Ali, was celebrated for its intensity and realism — but that same intensity, he admitted, consumed him long after the cameras stopped rolling.

Film that brought him back to life
After that emotionally draining phase, Ranbir found a sense of relief in Anurag Basu’s Barfi! (2012). The contrast between the two films could not have been starker — where one was dark and painful, the other was filled with innocence and light.

“But then I really got saved because I did such a nice, light, happy film called Barfi!, which was a bit of sunshine in my life at that time. You know, because it’s… it’s so joyous, so special to play a character like that,” he said.

The film’s success marked not only another turning point in his career but also a personal recovery — helping him rediscover the joy of performing and reconnect with his emotional balance.

Ranbir’s Rockstar co-star Nargis Fakhri, in a 2021 conversation with ETimes, spoke about how she landed the film. She said it was destiny that brought her on board after director Imtiaz Ali noticed her in a jewellery advertisement. She also recalled how working with Ranbir and meeting his mother helped her adjust to life in India during her debut.