Don't want to separate my identity from Shahid, says Ishaan Khatter

Ishaan Khatter doesn't mind being known as Shahid Kapoor's brother. The young actor, who made his film debut with "Beyond The Clouds" and will make his Bollywood foray with "Dhadak", says he never wants to separate his name from his half-sibling's name to create his own identity in the industry.

Ishaan, along with late veteran actress Sridevi's daughter Janhvi Kapoor, will be seen in "Dhadak", scheduled to release on Friday.

"I have no intention to make a name for myself and to separate my identity from my brother's name. I am proud to be identified as Shahid's brother, there is no shame in it," Ishaan, son of veteran actress Neelima Azeem, told IANS here.

While Shahid is Neelima's son with her first husband Pankaj Kapur, Ishaan is her son with Rajesh Khatter.

"Creating a separate identity for myself was never my driving force and will never be," Ishaan said, adding that his passion for cinema is his own and not borrowed from anyone else.

"I believe if you are sincere with your work and you are good at it, then your identity will be created by default. Though it feels good if I am getting acknowledged for my work," he added.

Both the actors, who are tasting the glamour and attention that come with being celebrities, are also learning how to tackle trolls.

Asked about the impact of trolls and memes on them, Janhvi said there were some comments which had hit her hard.

"Memes do not affect me. They are funny, but there are comments which just hit me on the spot."

Prodded about the comments, Janhvi said while she didn't remember the exact words anymore, they were "way too negative".

"I understand people have their opinions. I am hoping once they see the film they become a little more accepting," said Janhvi.

"I know I can't expect everyone to like the film, but we have worked with honesty and put our sweat into it; I hope that will be (communicated) to people through my work," added the "Dhadak" actress.

Ishaan, on the other hand, believes paying heed to negativity and hatred is of no use.

"When there is hate or negative comment, I try to ignore it and try to not bother myself with such stuff. By spreading hatred, and if it is particularly directed at us, then that person is reflecting his own personality," said Ishaan.

"Sometimes people post encouraging things also, so I try not to get swayed by it and do much better than my previous work. But when there is criticism, I try to learn from it and try to understand the perspective of another person."

"Dhadak", directed by Shashank Khaitan, is a remake of the National Award-winning Marathi film "Sairat". It is backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.