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Shahid Kapoor: “Luck is the biggest asset for an actor”

Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor

In his twelve years in Bollywood, Shahid Kapoor has certainly proved that the sky is the limit. Today as be celebrates his 34th birthday, he gets candid in a recent interview.

Kapoor made a huge entry with his 2003 debut ‘Ishq Vishk’, a film that gave the industry a talented, young, cute, college going boy. Twelve years after his debut, Kapoor proves that he is not only thr innocent Rajiv in ‘Ishq Vishk,’ but much much more. He’s made Bollywood stand up and take notice in films like ‘Jab we Met,’ (2007) ‘Kaminey,’ (2009) and most recently ‘Haider,’ (2014) and is still receiving well deserved accolades for his portrayal of the much flawed Hamlet in ‘Haider’, but he’s never been one to bask in his glory. In fact, he’s already shooting for his next, ‘Shandaar,’ directed by ‘Queen’ (2014) fame Vikas Bahl.

He shared his thoughts with Filmfare,

“Vikas is an exciting filmmaker. His takes on things is different. He showed me Queen as he wanted my honest opinion. I thought Kangana Ranaut was outstanding in the film. It’s probably the best performance by a female performer in the last 10 years. I guess I’d be scared of working with her because I couldn’t take my eyes off her when she was in the frame. She looked so correct for that character. She brought out the funny side to her character in the scenes where she is brushing her teeth adding all those clever little touches. Working with her will be a challenge.”

Kapoor is also enjoying working with Alia Bhatt in ‘Shandaar.’ He said, “You don’t know what works. But fresh pairings are exciting. You learn new things about your co-star. I’m someone who likes change.” Kapoor admires Alia for her confidence and poise that she’s achieved in such a short span of time. He himself was quite shy growing up and laughs at a few instances. “I’d be standing in a corner even at parties, thinking of steps but never mustering the courage to do them. So when I passed out of school, I wanted to learn dancing. I remember practicing the moonwalk by putting talcum powder on the floor. Those were some crazy days.”

Talking about that thing called love, Kapoor gave his thoughts, “Give life a chance to surprise you. Love happens by chance between two normal people. No one clicks a photo to see whether they look great together or not. Aise thodi na relationships hoti hai. Pyar ho gaya, ho gaya. You like someone, you like someone. That’s how it should be. You needn’t look perfect as long you are perfect for each other.”

Love will happen to him as well, and his life is as normal as can be, “I go out a lot. I eat out with friends, watch a film. I don’t get to shop as much though. I attend a normal gym. So the chances of meeting a normal girl are bright. I’m sure she’s out there��somewhere.”

Kapoor has grown to believe in luck, “Luck is the biggest asset for an actor. You need to be lucky to hit a home run. It’s not always skill. I’ve come to respect that factor more. I probably didn’t give due respect to it earlier but I’ve come to realize its relevance. My friend, Vikram Acharya, was late for an audition. He asked me to lend him my bike. It was a new bike. So I told him I’d rather drop him at the venue. I was waiting for him outside and this guy came and asked me whether I was there for the audition. I said not but he said he liked my face and that I should give it a try. They told me to do all kinds of things at the audition. And jokes aside, the things they ask you to do at these auditions are all the wrong things. I feel bad when I think about it. It was a Prahalad Kakkar ad and I’d like to get my hands on that tape sometime. I’m sure I’d be rolling on the floors watching it. But yeah, if I hadn’t done all that, then I wouldn’t be here��today. So I must thank my stars for all that has happened.”

Kapoor would like to emulate his father one day, “I’d be an enthusiastic father but I don’t know whether my child would appreciate my enthusiasm. I’ve seen kids make disdainful expressions when parents hug or kiss them in public. They are like, ‘dad not here, not in front of my friends. Your are killing my cool.’ I’ve done that so I hope I remember it when I do become a father.”

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By: Priyanka Borua