Shahid Kapoor: “2019 has empowered me to play all types of characters”
Shahid Kapoor has had a momunental year at the box office, and no one has felt the impact more than him in the way he now approached his work.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Kapoor reflected on his journey this year. “It’s been a defining year [for me]. I think 2019 has empowered me to play all types of characters. It has given me the belief that audiences are there to watch a good story. If you can emotionally impact them and can give a new experience, they are not as restricted in their mind as I think some of us, within the industry, are about what can travel wide and what can’t. The first thing that I felt [vis-a-vis ‘Kabir Singh’ (2019)] was a very strong and direct connection with the audience. When you get such overwhelming love, you realise its direct intensity. So, now, I feel very connected with the audience and people who have given me and the film so much love. And I only feel answerable only to them.”
His biggest takeaway comes from everything he has learnt from the controversy surrounding ‘Kabir Singh’. “I feel we are standing at a crossroad where everything is being questioned a lot, everybody is feeling very judged, and everybody is being judgmental towards everybody. But I feel at the end of the day, filmmaking is all about telling stories about good people as well as bad people. It’s also about the craft as well as entertaining people and the only one who should have the last word is the audience. So, my biggest learning is that you are making movies for people and your focus has to be on what they feel about it.”, he said.
Despite the immense success of ‘Kabir Singh’, Kapoor is staying realistic for 2020, “The future looks the same as it was earlier. It’s as unexpected and as unpredictable. I don’t think I have gained any special sixth sense. This job is just so unpredictable that you should just keep the head down, focus on work, enjoy what you are doing, make people happy and keep going on till the time people want to see you. The idea is to keep giving them the best you got and never think that is forever. I feel everything has a timeline, har cheez ki expiry date hoti hai toh jab tak chal rahe ho, chalte raho, kaam karte raho.”
