Different Shades

You had once said that you feel restless when you are not working. How are you coping with it this time?
Ninety per cent of what I am is my work. As an actor,if I am shooting for 20 days of a month,the other days are spent either reading scripts or dubbing. So acting becomes your life,it defines you to a large extent. But it is not just about Shahid Kapoor,the actor. There is more to each one of us.

You were to do a guest appearance in Paathshaala. How did you become the main protagonist?
Even I heard so. But then it’s not an out and out SK (Shahid Kapoor) film. I shot seven days for it and I am there for almost an hour. When there is a known face,it reaches out to more people. I play the role of Rahul Prakash Udyavar,who is shocked by the way the faculty is dealing with the school. I am happy lending my name to the film and the audience will not be disappointed.

Producer Ahmed Khan and you have been best friends. Have any of your childhood anecdotes made their way into the film?
I honestly don’t know. I think he has written the film from a parent’s point of view. As a parent,he feels concerned about his children. It has got to do with various experiences but I cannot point out one that’s taken from our lives.

Did you feel nostalgic going back to school?
I am going to my school Gyaan Bharathi in Delhi soon. In fact,we also shot a small portion of the promotional studio at the Bhavan’s Complex. I remember driving through and seeing a new building that’s come up. There was this muddy ground,that’s now turned into a basketball court.

But was schooling fun?
My schooling in Delhi was fun. In Mumbai,I was bullied. I was a scrawny teenager and had no hope. There were 30 of them against me. But in Class VIII,Haider from Kuwait joined our class and we became thick pals. He was huge and he was like my bouncer buddy. College was fun because I was quite popular. I was a Shiamak Davar instructor. I would walk around with my disc man and everybody thought I was cool.

From playing a school teacher you go on to play a badmaash?
I am making a habit of this since Kaminey. Mere shaqal pe hi kamina,badmaash type kuch likha hua hai. But yes,Badmaash Company is an exciting fresh subject. It is a journey of these four friends and the way they find success on their own terms. The movie has a lot of simple yet innovative con jobs.

Have you conned anybody?
Once I had a fight with a friend and I told him I wanted to make up with him. I told him I was shooting in Dubai and asked him to come there. When he landed in Dubai and called,I told him I am in Mumbai.

In Badmaash,were you okay being a part of a relatively new cast?
Anushka (Sharma) is young,bubbly and has a long career ahead of her. (Meiyang) Chang and Vir (Das) are very new and I was actually trying to fit into the group. There were always times when Vir wanted to say something funny on screen and he just stopped himself. He is a really fun guy to hang out with.

Will you do just one film a year now?
Since I have different looks for Mausam,I cannot work on any other film right now. But I’m looking forward to doing more work next year.