Shahid Kapoor regains lost glory

Actor talks about career highs, lows and sharing the film Udta Punjab’s cast with former partner Kareena Kapoor Khan

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor started the year with a bang by bagging several awards, including the ‘Best Actor’ Filmfare Award, for his performance in Haider (2014). Shahid is perhaps one of the few actors who have tried their hand at both commercial and non-commercial films before they found their strong suit. With some good, some not-so-good film choices under his belt, the actor talks about how he, along with the industry and audiences, has evolved over the years, reported bollywood.com.

“There was a long gap after Jab We Met (2007) and Kaminey (2009) when I didn’t do any films that were liked,” he said. Admitting that he made “some wrong choices” in his career so far, he stated, “During that three to four year period in between, I lost it. I think I moved away from who I was, and I was trying to understand what works, because some of my films hadn’t done well.”



Before R… Rajkumar (2013) and Haider did well, Shahid experienced a career low.  He confessed that being in such a state made him susceptible, as he felt he was making one wrong choice after another. As a result, he started taking what people said into consideration and began exploring his options. It was only after Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider that he gained ground. “It made me remember why I became an actor.”

Shahid lamented that films these days are gauged by the revenue they generate. “Today, we measure films by the numbers; nobody talks about quality. But every film can’t make INR100 million and doesn’t need to either,” he stated. “In this industry, if one thing does well, everybody does exactly that, which leads to genre fatigue. Every genre dies in a couple of years,” he added.

“In the last three to four years, films that weren’t considered as good earlier have done well, and certain good films have gone unnoticed,” he said, emphasising that people are keen on watching strong content now. Shahid will next be seen in Abhishek Chaubey’s film Udta Punjab, which is based on the issue of drug trafficking in the state of Punjab. “Scariest part that I have played yet,” he tweeted about his role in the film. “I have no clue how I’m going to get it right. Wish me luck, guys.”

The film will feature the on-screen reunion of former lovers Shahid and Kareena Kapoor Khan after their break-up in 2007. According to New The Indian Express, Shahid said he was one of the first ones to recommend Kareena’s name, as he thought she was perfect for the role. Although they have given the nod to work in the same movie, the two are not paired opposite each other.



Rumour has it that Shahid and Kareena won’t be sharing much screen space either. Incidentally, Shahid is paired with Alia Bhatt in the film. Talking about Bhatt junior, who he will also star opposite in the upcoming film Shaandar, he stated, “Alia is the most talented person I’ve met in my life. She has quickly become a good friend despite being much younger than me. I hope people understand and respect this and not try to misconstrue it,” he said, reported The Indian Express.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th,  2015.

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