Shahid Kapoor on Being a Ranbir Fan, shooting for Haider

At the beginning of his career, baby-faced Shahid Kapoor was everybody's favourite Bollywood Chocolate Boy', but now, having been in the film industry for eleven years, there's a certain rugged charm that's taken over the actor.

Full of bubbling enthusiasm, Shahid Kapoor arrived for an exclusive chat with the Screen team at the Indian Express office on Friday (June 27).

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"Right now I'm on vacation," he starts off saying. "I'm chilling till August and then I will start shooting for Shaandar' along with Alia Bhatt." Press him further for details, "It's a destination wedding love story... That's all I can say."

After his incredible hard-hitting performance in Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey' Shahid has teamed up with the director for what's hoping to be yet another masterpiece, Haider', which is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

"'Haider' is complete. It has been a very exciting experience working on that film. With Haider', Vishal has given me the best role of my life," he says. "Haider is Hamlet in its core, in terms of human relationships."

Talking about shooting for the film, he says, "Going to Kashmir was a huge learning experience. It's a beautiful place but there's a sense of pain you feel. I can't explain."

On being asked to comment on the newcomers in the industry, Shahid reveals that he does feel senior to them. "Suddenly I feel like a senior. Like I'm required to be more mature since I've been in the industry for eleven years now."

He also confesses to being a Ranbir Kapoor fan from the all the youngsters in Bollywood. "I really like the way Ranbir is handling his career. I enjoy seeing his work," says Shahid.

The actor also spoke about how playing different characters changes him as a person. "You tend to understand yourself a little better after each role you play. There's somewhat of a self-discovery," he says. He further adds "Success and failure come and go. But I really want quality work and not just Box Office hits."

Going back to the very ambitious Mausam' that saw Shahid romance Sonam Kapoor and also being directed by his father Pankaj Kapur, he says, "A lot of things went wrong with Mausam. Firstly, it took too long to make. Secondly it went over-budget and we had to release it in a hurry'.

When asked to share the greatest compliment he has ever received, after much thought, Shahid says, "So my father has seen Haider'. And after discussing the film, I asked him so dad what do you think I missed out in the film', because I constantly felt like I was falling short