I was most upset - Shraddha Kapoor

Shraddha Kapoor, 24, is the daughter of Shakti and Shivangi Kapoor. Currently her house, as she says, has turned into a paagalkhana with both, her film Aashiqui 2 and her brother Siddhant Kapoor's film Shootout At Wadala, releasing within a week of each other. While she does not deny being spoilt by her father, she remains real and thrives on forming normal human connections with people around her. She is terribly stubborn, but sensitive. She is interested in a plethora of life experiences and is an advanced scuba diver. She opens up to TOI about her father, her soulmate Teju mausi (Tejaswini Kolhapure) and her mother, who is her best friend. Excerpts:

Let's talk about your filmi background?
I am a Mumbaichi mulgi. My father Shakti Kapoor is a Punjabi and my mother Shivangi (nee Kolhapure) is a Maharashtrian. My father has acted in over 700 films. My mother acted in one film, Kismat withMithun Chakraborty, in which my father also had a role. My father fell in love with her and would drive her around in his sports car and they subsequently got married. My mom is the most beautiful woman and I think she has taken some serum to look young all her life. Both my mother's younger sisters, Padmini and Tejaswini, are actresses. I am extremely close to Teju mausi as I am quite similar to her. We both are adventurous, spontaneous, childish, impulsive and a bit silly and have our own strange sense of humour. Padmini mausi did Prem Rog when she was 16 and the beauty of her acting is that she is unaware of it and is a natural actor. I studied at Jamnabai Narsee School till class VIII and then went to American school after which I went to Boston, but dropped out after a year as I wanted to act. From when I can remember, I wanted to be an actress. I am a die hard fan of dancing and would take my dad's clothes and my mom's clothes and dance in front of the mirror. I loved my dad's clothes as they had a lot of glitter in them. My whole family speaks in this sing song way and, for a short period of time, I would practise these air hostess speeches. While my dad was comfortable with me being an actor, the only thing he said no was to becoming an air hostess.

Let's talk about your dad?
My dad was already doing well when I was born, but my mom tells me I was the lucky mascot in his life and that after I was born, he did even better. I was lucky to have affluent parents. I am spoilt in the sense that my father has given me an expensive car even though I would have liked to have bought my own car. My dad wants to constantly pamper me and I have a constant friction with my parents on that, as I like to make it on my own. My dad is protective at a personal level, but professionally he gives me all the space. Now with my third film, they let me be a bit on my own. He is jovial and is good to hang out with and exuberates positive energy. He doesn't listen to me, even though I keep telling him things like his mom.

Your father was the quintessential villain. Did that trouble you as a child?
Initially, I was really confused and inquisitive about it. I would go to his set and watch him doing all kinds of things. But my parents explained to me that this was what we called acting and I began to understand. Then he started doing comedian roles that were enjoyable.

You were 16 when your father's sting operation controversy broke out. How did you deal with it emotionally as a daughter?
It did upset me and I did cry. I was younger then and did not know how to filter information. It was a moment we had to all be together. I know that I was most upset with the way people were talking about him. He is my father at the end of the day. And the way I know him and my family knows him, nobody else does. I get most affected if someone talks about my near or dear ones, including my friends or my dog.

Who are you most attached to?
My mom is my best friend and I am most attached to her. She looked after me and was around when my dad was working. She has always made me feel that I could tell her anything from a young age. She and I converse in Marathi 'P' language when we don't want my dad to understand what we are talking about.

You are 24. Have you had a serious relationship so far?
No, I have not had any serious relationship. A relationship can take a lot of time and I don't know how I would be able to be in a serious relationship and work simultaneously. My father gave me only one advice -Concentrate on your work and work hard. I am following his advice.

How did you get your first film?
After my first year at Boston, I was here in my summer holidays when the producer of Teen Patti, Ambika Hinduja, spotted me on Facebook and called me for a look test. I auditioned and got selected. And then Luv Ka The End happened and now Aashique 2.

Is there a role you would really like to do?
I would really like to do a dance film. I have to dance once in two or three days all by myself in my room. For me, dance is therapeutic .