In a collaboration with director Anurag Basu, Kapoor formed a production company named Picture Shuru Productions, whose

first release was the musical comedy-mystery film Jagga Jasoos (2017), which tells the story of a gifted teenager's search for
his missing stepfather.[87] Production on the project was plagued with difficulties—principal photography began in 2014, but the
release date was pushed back several times owing to changes in the script, multiple reshoots, and rumours of animosity be-
tween Kapoor and co-star Katrina Kaif (the couple had broken-up before they finished filming).[88][89] Anna M. M.
Vetticad of Firstpost considered the film to be "a laudable experiment that zigzags off course", and while praising Kapoor's dedi-
cation to his part, criticised the decision to cast him as a teenage schoolboy.[90] It did not perform well commercially which led
Kapoor to regret his venture into production.[89][91]
In 2018, Kapoor portrayed the actor Sanjay Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani's biopic Sanju. It deals with Dutt's troubled relationship with
his father, his drug addiction, and his arrest for illegal possession of firearms.[92] Kapoor was keen to avoid a hagiographic narra-
tive and did not want to mimic Dutt's mannerisms. He interacted extensively with Dutt and took a month's time to transform him-
self physically before filming each phase of the actor's life.[93][94] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV thought that despite dramatic liberties,
the film had successfully portrayed Dutt's complexity, and wrote that Kapoor "pulls out the stops in astonishingly effective ways,
subsuming his personality into that of the protagonist".[95] Uday Bhatia of Mint was more critical for making Dutt too sympathetic
despite his misdeeds, and wrote that Kapoor's "imitation (astonishing at times) takes over the performance".[96] Sanju's strong fi-
nancial performance re-established Kapoor's stardom.[97][98] With earnings of over ₹5.79 billion (US$73 million), it emerged as
Kapoor's biggest commercial success to that point.[99] He won another Best Actor award at Filmfare.[100]

Hiatus and comeback (2019–present)

Kapoor at an event for Animal (2023), which ranks as his highest-

grossing film
Following Sanju, Kapoor's next screen appearance was after four years in 2022, when he starred
in Shamshera and Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva. He attributed this absence to the COVID-19 pandemic, the death of his father,
and the lengthy production time of these two big-budgeted films.[101] In Shamshera, a period action film set in the 1800s, he
played a dual role.[102] The film received poor reviews, with Saibal Chatterjee writing that "the actor should henceforth read his
scripts with a more critical eye before buying into them. He owes it to his talent".[103] It emerged as another box office bomb for
Kapoor.[104] He then starred opposite Alia Bhatt in Ayan Mukerji's fantasy film Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, the first part in a
planned trilogy, which took five years to film.[105] Made on a production and marketing budget of around ₹4 billion (US$50 million),
the film is one of the most expensive Indian films.[106][107] His performance and chemistry with Bhatt was not well-received by Si-
mon Abrams of TheWrap, but Deccan Herald's Vivek M. V. deemed him "excellent as [a] vulnerable orphan".[108][109] It
earned ₹4.31 billion (US$54 million) to rank as the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022.[110][111]
Kapoor starred alongside Shraddha Kapoor in Luv Ranjan's Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (2023),[112] which Tushar Joshi of India
Today remarked was a welcome return for Kapoor into the romantic comedy genre.[113] It emerged as a moderate commercial
success.[114][115] Keen to break away from his on-screen image, Kapoor accepted the role of a violent man with a troubled relation-
ship with his father in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's action drama Animal.[116] He described the part as "way out of my comfort zone",
and was challenged by the prospect of playing a "blend of strength, vulnerability and unpredictability".[116][117] The film's content led
certain commentators to accuse the film and his character of glorifying toxic masculinity and misogyny.[118][119][120] The Guardian de-
scribed Kapoor's role as "one of the vilest in cinema history".[121] Taking note of his problematic character, a reviewer
for News18 wrote that Kapoor "breathes life into this undesirable character with a lot of charisma and swag".[122] Grossing
over ₹9 billion (US$110 million), Animal emerged as Kapoor's highest-grossing release and one of Hindi cinema's biggest earn-
ers.[123] He won his fourth Best Actor award at Filmfare.[124]
 Personal life

Kapoor and his wife Alia Bhatt, pictured in 2021

Kapoor has been vocal about his personal life and has stated that his parents' marriage taught him how complex a relationship
can be.[9] He had his first serious relationship while in the seventh grade, and suffered from depression when it ended.[14] While
filming Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008, Kapoor began dating his co-star Deepika Padukone.[125] The relationship attracted substan-
tial media coverage in India and they speculated on an impending engagement.[126] However, the couple broke up a year later.
[127]
Kapoor maintained that the split was amicable, though the media widely reported that the split was due to infidelity on
Kapoor's part.[128][129]