Royal Enfields in Indian movies and the stars who rode them: From Shahrukh Khan to Ranveer Singh

And not just men – you will find even actors such as Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut riding Royal Enfield motorcyles in Indian movies.

Car and motorcycle makers pay movie makers to place their vehicles in movies. This product placement usually gives the vehicles good publicity as movies are watched by millions. However, Royal Enfield is a brand that operates differently. The company does not place its retro motorcycles in movies. Film makers and art directors use these retro motorcycles simply for the retro cool appeal, and actually buy Royal Enfields from the open market. Without paying a single penny, Royal Enfield gets all the publicity it needs. There have been scores of movies in which a Royal Enfield motorcycle has been seen playing a part at pivotal moments. We take a look at 20 such popular movies starring Royal Enfield bikes.

Shahrukh Khan in Jab Tak Hai Jaan

This 2012 movie did alright. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles, the movie did fine but was not considered a success by the standards of SRK movies then. He plays the role of a bomb-disposal expert in the movie.

Katrina Kaif in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

This cult movie about three male friends – Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deo and Farhan AKhtar had Katrina Kaif riding a Royal Enfield. Kaif’s height, often underplayed in movies with shorter heroes, is easily visible when you see her riding an RE.

Ajay Devgan in Singham

This Rohit Shetty film had outrageous stunts galore. Ajay Gevgn plays a supercop, and what else would he ride other than a Royal Enfield!

Vijay in Thuppaki

Thuppaki means ‘gun’ in Tamil. Vijay plays an army officer trying to track down some terrorists, and a Royal Enfield makes a guaranteed entry.

Farhan Akthar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Farhan Akhtar played India’s original flying Sikh Milkha Singh in this movie, based on the autobiography of the man himself. Milkha Singh was an olympian athlete who was a national champion runner for India. Milkha Singh was an army man, and hence the obligatory Royal Enfield motorcycle.

Farhan Akthar in Shaadi Ke Side Effects

This Farhan Akhtar movie was a comedy, and we really do not see a reason why the Enfield motorcycle made an appearance here. Any other bike would have done just as well. Nevertheless, there it is. Akhtar looks good on a motorcycle, though!

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt had a few scenes in India in this remarkable movie about a person who’s aging in reverse. Most of the India scenes were shot in Benares’ Assi Ghat.

Saif Ali Khan in Bullet Raja

This action movie has Bullet in its title. So what else did you expect!

Ajith Kumar in Yennai Arindhal

The movie name means “If you know me” in Tamil. The movie follows the journey of man named Sathyadev, from the age of 13 till the age of 38.

Gul Panag in Turning 30

This movie did not do particularly well – however, it served to cement Gul Panag’s reputation as a liberal, modern woman who takes on the world confidently and as a motorsport / adventure aficianado.

Kangana Ranaut in Tanu Weds Manu

Kangana Ranaut had to learn to ride a Royal Enfield for some of her shots in this movie.

Mammooty in August 15th

Mammootty has played cop, army man and CBI officer type of roles several times. In this 2011 movie, he plays a CDrime Branch Officer.

Mohanlal in Ammukutty Ammayude Ajayan

Information about this movie has almost vanished and we could not find much at all. Did the movie flop? We do not know. However, we found it strange that very little information was available about a Malayalam movie starring Mohanlal.

Shraddha Kapoor in Ek Villain

Shraddha Kapoor had a fall during the shoot of this movie. Apparently, the bike skid and fell. She later tweeted about the importance of wearing safety gear.

Surya in Singham

This is the original Tamil version of the Bollywood movie of the same name. Actor Surya played the role which Ajay Devgn played in the Hindi version.

Sonam Kapoor in Dolly Ki Doli

Sonam Kapoor was seen riding a motorcycle with a sidecar in this movie. Not too confident on two wheels, eh Sonam?

Abhishek Bachchan in Bunty Aur Babli

This comedy movie had another Royal Enfield. The 6.1 foot tall actor easily dwarfed the Royal Enfield he rode.

Ranveer Singh in Kill Dil

The movie name is a play on ‘Kill Bill’ This, however, was an action comedy film. There were gangsters in the movie, so a Royal Enfield made sense, we guess.

Manoj Bajpai in Gangs of Wasseypur

It seems Wasseypur’s gangsters were pretty comfortable riding around weapons in hand, on Royal Enfields. Good for them. You would notice no helmets or safety gear, or even a nod to the law against triple-riding. Well, they are gangsters – what did you expect?