There is a certain kind of compliment in Bollywood that carries real weight, and Salman Khan handed one out this week. Asked to pick between Ranbir Kapoor in Animal and Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar as the more impactful performance, the superstar refused to choose. But he did not stop there. He went on to say Ranveer was a “very secure” actor, and the reason he gave has got the internet talking.
The moment came on the premiere episode of Koffee With Karan Season 9, which arrived on JioHotstar on Wednesday. Salman is the first guest of what is being billed as the final season of Karan Johar’s long-running chat show, and the conversation moved between career, craft and old memories with unusual ease. Midway through the famous rapid-fire round, Karisma Kapoor popped in to put both Salman and Karan on the spot.
Her question to Salman was simple on the surface: which performance had made a greater impact on him, Ranbir Kapoor in Animal or Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar? The room expected a winner. Salman had other ideas.
Why Salman would not pick a winner
“Two different kinds of performances. You cannot compare any of them,” Salman said, flatly refusing to be drawn into a ranking. Karisma pushed back, suggesting the answer was diplomatic. Salman pushed right back.
“It is not diplomatic at all. Both are fantastic actors. One has got a tremendous amount of energy. One has got a tremendous amount of intensity. Both have different styles of acting.”
It is classic Salman, honest to the point of bluntness. But the more interesting part came when he started explaining what Ranveer had done in Dhurandhar that deserved special mention. Ranveer built his career on pure, uncontainable energy, the kind of actor who walks into a frame and owns it. Aditya Dhar’s film asked him to do the opposite: hold it all in.
The Ranveer observation everyone is repeating
“Especially for Ranveer in Dhurandhar, he had to control all his energy,” Salman said. “He does everything larger than life, and he had to control that big time. For an actor, that is a huge amount of insecurity that he did not have in the film. He was very secure as an actor and in that role in Dhurandhar.”
That is the insight only a working actor could give. Anyone can praise a performance as “brilliant.” Salman went a level deeper, describing the specific craft challenge: an actor famous for volume learning to play quiet. According to Salman, pulling that off without looking unsure of yourself takes a kind of confidence most performers do not have. Karan Johar agreed on the spot, saying, “Correct, well said.”
The praise lands at a useful moment for Ranveer. Dhurandhar, the 2025 spy epic from Aditya Dhar, and its 2026 sequel Dhurandhar 2, gave him one of the most talked-about turns of his career, and the question of whether he has finally found his career-defining role has followed him ever since. A word like this from the industry’s biggest star will not hurt.
A final season that starts with old friends
The episode had plenty beyond the Ranveer moment. Salman also spoke about Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal (2023) in glowing terms, making it clear the refusal to compare was genuine admiration for both actors rather than evasion. And the nostalgia ran both ways: Karan revealed how Salman came on board for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai back in the day, after several big actors had turned down the supporting role.
According to Karan, Salman told him, “You have been shopping, come narrate the film to me tomorrow.” Karan turned up at his apartment, Salman agreed to do the film without hearing the full narration, and he said yes even after learning there would be no remuneration for the special appearance. The two also laughed about the climax shoot, where a camera operator accidentally filmed the entire sequence in slow motion and forced a full reshoot, with Salman pushing his next schedule back by a day to finish it.
If this is the tone of the final season, viewers are in for something. Salman on the couch, old stories flowing, and a senior star giving a younger one the kind of compliment that actually means something. The season is streaming now on JioHotstar, and this episode has set a high bar.
FAQs
What did Salman Khan say about Ranveer Singh on Koffee With Karan 9?
He called Ranveer a “very secure” actor, praising him for controlling his larger-than-life energy in Dhurandhar, something he said most actors would feel insecure doing.
Did Salman choose between Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar?
No. He refused, calling them “two different kinds of performances” that cannot be compared, and praised both actors’ distinct styles.
When did Koffee With Karan Season 9 premiere?
The season premiered on JioHotstar on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, with Salman Khan as the first guest. It is billed as the show’s final season.
What is Dhurandhar?
Dhurandhar is Aditya Dhar’s 2025 spy epic starring Ranveer Singh, followed by Dhurandhar 2 in 2026.
Where can I watch the episode?
The episode is streaming on JioHotstar.
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