Shahid Kapoor on Bombay Times Lounge
He never chased trends, only trusted his own time. From romance to rage, from comedy to drama, he has built a career on instinct and reinvention. Now in his 40s, he is calmer, more focused, shaped by parenthood and a keener understanding of himself and cinema.In the next episode Rustomjee presents Bombay Times Lounge, Shahid Kapoor speaks with depth and candor – describing his own journey, his relationship with self-criticism, the curves life throws at us, and what it means to be ahead of the curve. As he reunites with Vishal Bhardwaj the fourth time in Or Romeo – a partnership that has always created magic – Shahid enters the world of a gangster on screen, even off screen, he seems more at ease with himself than ever before. Here’s a sneak peek of the conversation – the full episode will be on the site soon Bombay Times YouTube channel. Today the promo is reduced.
Shahid Kapoor
“You cannot be influenced by what other people have achieved” Talking about why he has never compared his journey in films with his contemporaries, Shahid says, “Everybody’s journey is different, some people start right at the finish line because they are destined to do so, and some people start 200 meters before the start.
You start counting your meters from where you started. You see your own path and you deserve it. You cannot be so influenced by what other people have achieved.
»“I think social media is destroying potential actors” Talking about how social media is affecting actors’ skills, he shares, “We used to learn acting in the cinema, now people learn acting by looking at their phones. You know there’s a fundamental difference between how you watch a movie on your phone and on the big screen.
Sitting in a theater watching history being told and interacting with so many people around you makes a huge difference. I think a lot of new age actors need to go to theaters; they need to watch purana movie.
They need to go to smaller cities to understand our country. What is happening, globalization ke saath… duniya ka sab kuch pata hai, lekin rootedness nahin hai and rooted emotions come from this experience.
Actors should really think about that… leave social media, go out into the world, experience reality, and then come back to it.”
Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj reunited after almost seven years for O Romeo
“Vishal and I have always had an unspoken creative understanding”Talking about his creative association with Bhardwaj, the actor shares, “The funny thing is that even though Vishal (Bhardwaj) and I are collaborating after seven or eight years, Or Romeoit was no different than it was before. It seemed like a very natural flow of things.
Of course, I feel like he’s evolved as well, and I’m also at a different stage in my career, but we’ve always had an unspoken creative understanding.”“I’m very obsessed with my children” Reflecting on how fatherhood has shaped his outlook on life and career, Shahid says, “Parenthood changed me completely. I was just dying to be a dad. I wanted it so badly and it consumed me. Now that my daughter is nine and my son is seven, I’ve started to think about myself a lot more.
About a year ago I was really into them. I will soon turn 45, and these are very important years in my career.
This is a young person’s job, and to stay relevant to the new generation, you have to really grow, evolve and adapt. Sometimes these roles that life gives you are far more important than any of those things. As a parent, you want to be the best version of yourself. I’m so obsessed with my kids and it’s been incredible.”
Shahid Kapoor reflects on how becoming a father has changed his outlook on life and career
“We must learn to set our own pace”On charting his own path, Shahid says, “There are three places you can be in your career: you can be ahead, you can be right on the curve or you can be behind. The only place I don’t want to be is behind the curve. And if you’re trying to do something that’s already been done because it was successful, rest assured, you’re behind the curve. We must learn to set our own pace. You will think all your life that such a trend, such a trend, there will be no fun.. You may fail, but be original.”“To get better at what you do, you have to be critical”The Hyder The actor says that if someone wants to hone his skills, he should be critical of his work. He adds, “I’ve learned not to let negative chatter get in my head. I worked a lot on myself to distinguish between critical and objective. And what surpasses critical and negative – there is a fine line. To become better at what you do, you have to be critical, and if you’re affected by self-criticism like that, you’re not strong enough and you’re not progressing.”
“Stay tuned for the full episode of Rustomjee presents Bombay Times Lounge with Shahid Kapoor coming soon on Bombay Times YouTube Channel Title Sponsor: Rustomjee Filmed by Rustomji in Paris, Pali Hill, Bandra, Mumbai
