Shahid Kapoor shows talent in abundance: Filmmakers

There are two kinds of opinion in the film industry about Shahid Kapoor, who turns 32 Monday. Some tag him as one of the best star-actors in the post-Aamir Khan generation while others think he has screwed it up with his attitude - but no one disputes Shahid's talent.

Rajkumar Santoshi's latest film "Phata Poster Nikla Hero" is the first film Shahid signed without demanding a full script. He next goes into Prabhudheva's "Rambo Rajkumar", in which he needs to completely re-define his physique and body language to do his first full-fledged action role.

Both Santoshi and Prabhu swear by Shahid's versatility and want to work with him again.

Said Santoshi: "I always knew Shahid was extremely talented. Now when I've worked with him, I am amazed at how versatile he really is. In my film, he has to portray both dark and light shades. He handles both the comic and dramatic scenes with equal ease. His mother-son scenes with Padmini Kolhapure brought tears to my eyes. And he is so hands-on on the sets, it's a delight to work with an actor so focused on his work. I am definitely working with Shahid again."

Prabhudheva feels there is a terrific action star hidden in Shahid who has given big hits like "Jab We Met", but his last films "Mausam" and "Teri Meri Kahaani" didn't live up to people's expectations.

"We are starting the film in Gujarat on March 1 with a song. I like to begin shooting with a song. It makes the entire team happy and light-hearted," said Prabhudheva, who is known for directing hits like "Wanted" and "Rowdy Rathore".

A great dancer himself, he praises Shahid's "amazing" dancing skills and added: "We will try to tap the action side of his personality in 'Rambo Rajkumar'. The script is very much in the 'Rowdy Rathore' space. But this time there is also a realistic flavour to the action. So the fights would be raw and real."

Bejoy Nambiar has reportedly cast Shahid as a psychologically disturbed character in his next.

"I really like Shahid as an actor. 'Kaminey' blew my mind. Actually, so did bits of 'Fida'. I feel he's very versatile though he's known mainly for his romantic roles. I feel there is a lot more potential in there," said Nambiar who directed "David" and "Shaitan".