Is Ranbir Kapoor bringing back RK Studios with Deepika Padukone and Ayan Mukerji for his directorial debut?

Highlights:

• Ranbir Kapoor plans to bring back his grandfather Raj Kapoor’s RK Studios.
• He’s said to make his directorial debut under the revived banner.
• Deepika Padukone and Ayan Mukerji may join him for the first project.
• The idea is to keep the Kapoor family legacy alive.
• RK Studios was sold to Godrej Properties in 2019 after a 2017 fire.

Reports say Ranbir Kapoor is reviving the old RK Studios name, the production house his grandfather Raj Kapoor built from scratch in 1948. The plan, they say, is to rebuild the brand, not just the building. He wants to direct his first film under the revived banner and as per reports, he’s already started talking to Deepika Padukone and Ayan Mukerji about what could be next.

Reports hint at Ranbir Kapoor’s plans to revive the iconic RK Studios Getty Images

Why Ranbir wants to bring RK Studios back

According to Mid-Day, the plan is to keep the Kapoor legacy alive. The family sold the Chembur property in 2019 after a massive fire two years earlier. But Ranbir’s idea isn’t about land or nostalgia; it’s about giving the RK name a new life in today’s film scene.

A source told the Mid-Day, they’re not rushing to construct anything yet. “Right now, the priority is to re-establish the brand,” they said. The new setup may later include office space and a small screening room but first comes the creative slate and stories.

Ranbir Kapoor set to revive RK Studios with Deepika Padukone and Ayan Mukerji for his first film as directorGetty Images

His directorial debut is part of the plan

Ranbir has mentioned before that he has plans to direct. During a birthday chat with fans in September, he said he’s already started a writer’s room and has two ideas he’s developing. Looks like one of them could be his directorial debut under the new RK Studios label.

Names like Deepika Padukone and Ayan Mukerji are being floated for the first project. That’s not surprising since both have worked closely with Ranbir before and share the kind of creative trust he’d want for a first-time director.

Ranbir Kapoor bringing back RK Studios with Deepika Padukone and Ayan MukerjiGetty Images

The family’s history runs deep here

RK Studios defined a whole chapter of Indian cinema with movies like Awaara, Barsaat, Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Mera Naam Joker. All carried that famous logo, the man with the violin. The last film to roll out under RK Films was Aa Ab Laut Chalen in 1999 with Rishi Kapoor behind the camera. Rebuilding it isn’t just business for Ranbir. It’s personal. His father once said he wished the family could revive the studio.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt poses for photos during an event marking 100th birth anniversary of legendary Indian actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor Getty Images

What’s next

For now, Ranbir continues shooting for Love and War with Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, and Ramayana with Sai Pallavi. But this new move, reviving RK Studios feels like the bigger story.