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Shahid Kapoor gets real about his relationships, spirituality, and success

This Kapoor is out to get his due

Kapoor's 13-year career has been that of an actor determined to go beyond the emblematic romantic role so beloved of Bollywood's leading men. Instead, he's put together an oeuvre that's a developing portrait of the male psyche in various modes of fragmentation and despair, from the mercurial (Kaminey) to the obnoxious (Udta Punjab) to the deranged (Haider).

For a movie star of his generation - one who appears to be in competition neither with the Khans nor the "Ran's" (-Bir and -Veer) but is orbiting in his own trajectory, with an appetite for working with auteurs - this constitutes a distinguished first act. All the more so because what really interests Kapoor is Act Two.

It's all part of the new spiritual path Kapoor is on. And his true nature is often at odds with who he wants to be.

"I have issues with situations I can't control. But at the same time, I have this spiritual side where I know that nobody has control. I believe in that - that there are larger powers at play and you can participate in life, and try and mould it, but you can't define what's going to happen. It's a struggle because I'm a worst-case-scenario person. I think it's because I've had a rough ride. I know that when shit gets bad, it gets really bad."

It's unclear if he's talking about his parents separating when he was three and their subsequent remarriages, resulting in three half-siblings (whom he appears to be quite fond of). Or perhaps of the widely held belief in the industry that Shahid hasn't seen the sort of success he deserves.

"Talent comes second, sometimes even third. Your talent has to translate into numbers. I'm always told I'm the guy who hasn't got what I should have in terms of numbers. There are a lot of people who've hit big numbers, but their talent is average."

"Different people have different graphs. You just have to keep working and something will just hit the right note. And that's when it'll happen. With me, it's been a wait. And that's changed me as a person.

"I've become process-oriented, instead of result-oriented," he continues. "And honestly, by the time that kind of success comes to me, I won't really care about it. There's already part of me that doesn't care - because I know that's one relationship I can't afford to be emotional about."

"But I know that success will come. It has to, otherwise my entire career won't make sense."

To read the complete interview, grab your copy of GQ India's February 2017 issue, out on stands on 4th February 2017