Birthday Love: Shahid Kapoor’s memorable performances

One of the most versatile actors in the Bollywood industry, Shahid Kapoor is celebrating his 41st birthday. Born on February 25, 1981, in New Delhi to veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor and Neelima Azeem, Kapoor grew up as a keen dancer, going on to join Shiamak Davar’s dance institute at the age of 15. He went on to appear as a background dancer in films such as ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ and ‘Taal’ in which the dance sequences were choreographed by Davar. After quickly climbing up the ladder and becoming a dance instructor in the academy, Kapoor made his acting debut with Ramesh Taurani’s coming of age romantic comedy ‘Ishq Vishk’ (2003).

To mark his birthday, BizAsiaLive.com looks back at Kapoor’s five memorable performances.

‘Jab We Met’ (2007)
Praised for its simplicity and romance, this Imtiaz Ali directed super-hit flick became one of the finest films to come out of Bollywood that year and helped revive Kapoor’s career after a run of failed films. Portraying the role of a quiet and collective Aditya Kashyap, Kapoor excelled in every frame and since, has not looked back.

‘Kaminey’ (2009)
This is the film mostly remembered for the incredible transformation of Kapoor from the ‘young chocolate boy’ to the ‘six-packed chiselled abs’ superstar. Even his acting prowess seemed to have been turned up with Hindi Film News ranking Kapoor’s performance at number four for the finest performance by a Bollywood actor for the decade. In addition, his on-screen chemistry with Priyanka Chopra made him one of the most sought-after actors in the industry.

‘Haider’ (2014)
A modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, the movie is an elegant and thrilling one that casts a brave, unflinching eye on the Kashmir conflict. Just as Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a masterpiece in literature, and this Bollywood adaptation by Vishal Bhardwaj is talked about in the same vein as one such artistic product. Recognised as Kapoor’s career-best performance, he went on to win the award for Best Actor at the Filmfare and IIFA awards.

‘Udta Punjab’ (2016)
A controversial but well-made film, ‘Udta Punjab’ fetched another Filmfare Award for Kapoor. This Abhishek Chaubey directed flick is based on the drug menace in the northern state of Punjab in India, with Kapoor portraying the role of a Rockstar who regularly misuses substances to get his high. Though the film was an average grosser, it garnered critical acclaim, with Kapoor and fellow actor and debutant Diljit Dosanjh being praised for their spectacular performances.

‘Kabir Singh’ (2019)
Amidst all the controversy around the subject matter of the film and contrasting opinions on how it should be perceived, one common factor on which everybody agreed was that Kapoor absolutely nailed the part. ‘ Though the story and character were highly unconventional, Kapoor was praised for truthfully portraying the role of an alpha male with unsavoury characteristics. This film also gave Kapoor his second IIFA Best Actor award.

BizAsiaLive.com wishes Shahid Kapoor a very Happy 41st Birthday!