Anurag Basu’s Barfi! becoming India’s official entry at the Oscars, an impressive line-up of films under his belt and a bagful of endorsements actor Ranbir Kapoor certainly has more reasons than just his birthday to celebrate today. But the young star who believes in ‘loving what you do’ has no plans to take a break from doing what he loves that is facing the camera.

The actor will apparently be shooting in the first half of the day for two of his endorsements, followed by partying late in the night. “Yes, it will be a working birthday for Ranbir, since there’s no party planned by him. But, later in all likelihood, a bunch of his good friends, including Imtiaz (Ali) and Ayan (Mukherjee) might just surprise him with an impromptu bash. In fact Anurag may also be planning a bash for Ranbir,” says a source, adding that for Ranbir, work’s never taken a backseat to partying. “He balances the two really well, so he works hard and parties harder,” shares the insider.

And Ranbir maintains this balancing act between his films, endorsements and personal life too. “I think there’s a time and place for everything, and I like to enjoy everything in its respective spaces,” Ranbir had earlier said. And it is this balance and attitude, say trade and industrywallahs, that makes him have a strong connect with his young audiences.

“Today Brand Ranbir is growing by the day. He is substance, combined with class and charisma, backed by BO success. So, right from girls to their mothers, just about everybody loves him and even the boys aspire to be like him. Only Shah Rukh Khan had that kind of complete sway among his audiences, mainly women. So as far as the market goes, Ranbir’s stocks are definitely on the rise,” says brand expert Harish Bijoor.

When we caught up with the actor, we realise that he’s not too enthusiastic talking about birthdays. But there’s no holding back when it comes to sharing the excitement of Barfi! being the official Indian selection for the Oscars. “It feels great, but the greater feeling is that the audience is liking the film and it’s doing great at the box office. It has reached people’s hearts. The love that the film has got and the collections show this. We had not expected this kind of response to it from Oscar nomination to box office collections to critical acclaim. All we knew is that we are making a special and a good film. I am numb, don’t know how to react. I feel blessed. I wanted to take the risk,” says the birthday boy.