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From Boy To Man 
His transformation from just another sweet face to a man who can deliver hits in solo hero projects is fetching Shahid Kapur the accolades and some highly coveted roles.
Director Imtiaz Ali admits to "not thinking" about Shahid Kapur when he wrote 2007's big hit, Jab We Met. "I had never met the guy before, and I only knew him through his previous films. His image was of a young, immature boy, the quintessential chocolate hero, not the kind of man I was looking to cast as Aditya Kashyap." JWM's hero, by the way, was a nice, ordinary bloke traumatised by certain events of his life. But it took just a single meeting for Ali to believe that Kapur was a "man, and not the boy everyone imagined him to be."
Ask the actor himself about the image trap he found himself in just a year ago and he says with wry self-depreciation, "Let's face it, I have done some terrible films, made wrong choices and delivered several bad performances."
It's a lazy Friday afternoon and we are sitting in Kapur's trendy bachelor pad in suburban Mumbai, a few floors above his father Pankaj Kapur's home. Dressed in black track pants and a yellow jacket, he lounges on a cream sofa while his golden retriever, Kaizer, sleeps close by.
Even I expected to meet a young boy who had hit the big time in just about three years, but what I found was a man in an unusually calm and reflective mood. "I was very excited after my first film (Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishq, Pyaar Vyaar, 2003) did surprisingly well and took on whatever came my way. Today, some of my performances make me cringe. At 23, my career took off with a bang and then didn't go anywhere."
You can't say that anymore. Kapur, 26, is Hindi film industry's newest blue-eyed boy, the man who delivered 2007's two big hits, Sooraj Barjatya's Vivah and Ali's Jab We Met.In a male-dominated industry, delivering hits in solo hero projects ensures that filmmakers take you more seriously. Of the two films, he considers his performance in the latter as his most refined.
JWM, says Kapur, was a risk he took. Ali was just one movie old and he and Kareena Kapoor, his ex-girlfriend and co-star in the movie, weren't a hit pair. "But Ali's characterisation blew me away. His perspective and thinking are fresh and being young himself, he understands how we think. Aditya Kashyap came with a lot of baggage at a very young age. Roles that require you to be subtle and understated are difficult to come by."
The turning tide has given him the freedom, says Kapur, to choose the right kind of films and now, he asks for bound scripts.
"Shahid desires to achieve that crucial balance between being a star and an actor. I am amazed at his understanding of how the industry works," says his father Pankaj.
Ignore his boy-next-door good looks or the best smile Bollywood has seen in a rather long time and Kapur still remains a strong contender for the romantic hero tag. It's a niche that Rishi Kapoor once occupied and that's one hell of a tough act to follow. The actor, however, is eager to reinvent himself, to go beyond the cute boy-next-door type of roles and act out characters with grey shades. Playing Aditya Kashyap— a young man coming to terms with grief, loss and separation—suited him perfectly, says Kapur.
If Sajjid Khan calls him the "next big thing", Ali calls the actor one of the most exciting young talents in the industry. "Allowing a co-star to take away the best lines in the film requires an actor to be very secure. Shahid's worldview is far more mature than that of his counterparts, which is not surprising given the life he has led." The director is obviously referring to Kapur's childhood, spent in Delhi where he lived with his mom and grandparents. He was a regular boy, says Kapur, who went to school, played gully cricket and even broke a few windows around his neighbourhood. What he leaves unsaid is the pain and confusion caused by his parents' (Pankaj Kapur and TV and theatre actress Neelima Azim) separation and the years he spent away from his dad. Kapur says he knew him only through his films such as Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Rui Ka Bojh (two of his favourites).
In 1998, at the age of 16, he came to Mumbai and touched base with his father, who introduced him to the world of cinema. Prone to self-doubt, Kapur wondered if he was actually suited for the job. "Just because your parents are good at something doesn't mean you make the cut. Also, we are a middle-class family and my parents did not have Rs 20 crore to launch me." So, he did what all wannabe actors do. He took dancing lessons from choreographer Shaimak Davar who calls him a "natural dancer, perfect in his poise, but just a bit exaggerated in his movements." And besides attending a few acting workshops, he also gave hundreds of auditions where "I was rejected."
In 2001 Ken Ghosh called him for an audition for his directorial debut Ishq Vishq... "Even at that time he had a confidence that was unmatched and he was desperate to succeed," says Ghosh.
Kapur's demeanour has become even more assured in the last 12 months. "I believe going out there and giving a good shot is not enough," he smiles, something he does pretty easily. "A great script, a good director, a good set-up is as essential." His next film, Aziz Mirza's Kismet Konnection, co-starring Vidya Balan, is a romantic comedy. There's also his father's directorial debut, shooting for which will begin around June, and Ghosh's untitled musical. "Working with dad is like going back to an acting school," says Kapur. "He is aware I am a mainstream hero, but he also believes in a certain kind of cinema."
If 2007 was Kapur's best yet, it was also, in some ways, one of his worst. The actor found himself regularly in the gossip columns for his famous fall-out with ex-girlfriend Kareena. Their chemistry may have, at last, worked on screen but in real life, their four-year-old relationship hit rock-bottom. Then there were stories of Kareena's dalliance with actor Saif Ali Khan. And of course, all of Kapur's link-ups with just about everyone he has socialised or worked with—Amrita Rao, Vidya Balan and Sania Mirza.
Ever the diplomat, Kapur doesn't bristle at questions about his personal life, though it does upset him. But he does offer a glimpse into what those days were like. "I would read all this crap and my entire day would go bad. It was such a strange feeling, being linked to just about everyone. Sometimes, I found it extremely funny. One day I was with Amrita, the next with Vidya and the third, with Sania. Frankly, I am scared to walk out of the door with my sister."
During the interview, I ask him what he finds most fulfilling about acting. "I discover whole new facets of my personality with every film. The pressure created by a good performance, a good film, pushes me to work harder. With each film I realise that quality sustains and that I will ultimately find my own space within the industry."
http://www.shahidonline.net/home.php?subaction=showfull& id=1203798102&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
His transformation from just another sweet face to a man who can deliver hits in solo hero projects is fetching Shahid Kapur the accolades and some highly coveted roles.Director Imtiaz Ali admits to "not thinking" about Shahid Kapur when he wrote 2007's big hit, Jab We Met. "I had never met the guy before, and I only knew him through his previous films. His image was of a young, immature boy, the quintessential chocolate hero, not the kind of man I was looking to cast as Aditya Kashyap." JWM's hero, by the way, was a nice, ordinary bloke traumatised by certain events of his life. But it took just a single meeting for Ali to believe that Kapur was a "man, and not the boy everyone imagined him to be."
Ask the actor himself about the image trap he found himself in just a year ago and he says with wry self-depreciation, "Let's face it, I have done some terrible films, made wrong choices and delivered several bad performances."
It's a lazy Friday afternoon and we are sitting in Kapur's trendy bachelor pad in suburban Mumbai, a few floors above his father Pankaj Kapur's home. Dressed in black track pants and a yellow jacket, he lounges on a cream sofa while his golden retriever, Kaizer, sleeps close by.
Even I expected to meet a young boy who had hit the big time in just about three years, but what I found was a man in an unusually calm and reflective mood. "I was very excited after my first film (Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishq, Pyaar Vyaar, 2003) did surprisingly well and took on whatever came my way. Today, some of my performances make me cringe. At 23, my career took off with a bang and then didn't go anywhere."
You can't say that anymore. Kapur, 26, is Hindi film industry's newest blue-eyed boy, the man who delivered 2007's two big hits, Sooraj Barjatya's Vivah and Ali's Jab We Met.In a male-dominated industry, delivering hits in solo hero projects ensures that filmmakers take you more seriously. Of the two films, he considers his performance in the latter as his most refined.
JWM, says Kapur, was a risk he took. Ali was just one movie old and he and Kareena Kapoor, his ex-girlfriend and co-star in the movie, weren't a hit pair. "But Ali's characterisation blew me away. His perspective and thinking are fresh and being young himself, he understands how we think. Aditya Kashyap came with a lot of baggage at a very young age. Roles that require you to be subtle and understated are difficult to come by."
The turning tide has given him the freedom, says Kapur, to choose the right kind of films and now, he asks for bound scripts.
"Shahid desires to achieve that crucial balance between being a star and an actor. I am amazed at his understanding of how the industry works," says his father Pankaj.
Ignore his boy-next-door good looks or the best smile Bollywood has seen in a rather long time and Kapur still remains a strong contender for the romantic hero tag. It's a niche that Rishi Kapoor once occupied and that's one hell of a tough act to follow. The actor, however, is eager to reinvent himself, to go beyond the cute boy-next-door type of roles and act out characters with grey shades. Playing Aditya Kashyap— a young man coming to terms with grief, loss and separation—suited him perfectly, says Kapur.
If Sajjid Khan calls him the "next big thing", Ali calls the actor one of the most exciting young talents in the industry. "Allowing a co-star to take away the best lines in the film requires an actor to be very secure. Shahid's worldview is far more mature than that of his counterparts, which is not surprising given the life he has led." The director is obviously referring to Kapur's childhood, spent in Delhi where he lived with his mom and grandparents. He was a regular boy, says Kapur, who went to school, played gully cricket and even broke a few windows around his neighbourhood. What he leaves unsaid is the pain and confusion caused by his parents' (Pankaj Kapur and TV and theatre actress Neelima Azim) separation and the years he spent away from his dad. Kapur says he knew him only through his films such as Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Rui Ka Bojh (two of his favourites).
In 1998, at the age of 16, he came to Mumbai and touched base with his father, who introduced him to the world of cinema. Prone to self-doubt, Kapur wondered if he was actually suited for the job. "Just because your parents are good at something doesn't mean you make the cut. Also, we are a middle-class family and my parents did not have Rs 20 crore to launch me." So, he did what all wannabe actors do. He took dancing lessons from choreographer Shaimak Davar who calls him a "natural dancer, perfect in his poise, but just a bit exaggerated in his movements." And besides attending a few acting workshops, he also gave hundreds of auditions where "I was rejected."
In 2001 Ken Ghosh called him for an audition for his directorial debut Ishq Vishq... "Even at that time he had a confidence that was unmatched and he was desperate to succeed," says Ghosh.
Kapur's demeanour has become even more assured in the last 12 months. "I believe going out there and giving a good shot is not enough," he smiles, something he does pretty easily. "A great script, a good director, a good set-up is as essential." His next film, Aziz Mirza's Kismet Konnection, co-starring Vidya Balan, is a romantic comedy. There's also his father's directorial debut, shooting for which will begin around June, and Ghosh's untitled musical. "Working with dad is like going back to an acting school," says Kapur. "He is aware I am a mainstream hero, but he also believes in a certain kind of cinema."
If 2007 was Kapur's best yet, it was also, in some ways, one of his worst. The actor found himself regularly in the gossip columns for his famous fall-out with ex-girlfriend Kareena. Their chemistry may have, at last, worked on screen but in real life, their four-year-old relationship hit rock-bottom. Then there were stories of Kareena's dalliance with actor Saif Ali Khan. And of course, all of Kapur's link-ups with just about everyone he has socialised or worked with—Amrita Rao, Vidya Balan and Sania Mirza.
Ever the diplomat, Kapur doesn't bristle at questions about his personal life, though it does upset him. But he does offer a glimpse into what those days were like. "I would read all this crap and my entire day would go bad. It was such a strange feeling, being linked to just about everyone. Sometimes, I found it extremely funny. One day I was with Amrita, the next with Vidya and the third, with Sania. Frankly, I am scared to walk out of the door with my sister."
During the interview, I ask him what he finds most fulfilling about acting. "I discover whole new facets of my personality with every film. The pressure created by a good performance, a good film, pushes me to work harder. With each film I realise that quality sustains and that I will ultimately find my own space within the industry."
http://www.shahidonline.net/home.php?subaction=showfull& id=1203798102&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&
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