Shahid Kapoor says it is impossible to make a politically charged film like Haider today: ‘We can’t do controversial films anymore’

After playing the boy-next-door in films like Vivah and Jab We Met, Shahid Kapoor stunned all with his character in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider. The film, set in 1995, when militancy in Kashmir was at its peak, became a major commercial success at the box office. One of the standout scenes in Haider features Shahid crying uncontrollably upon reaching his father’s grave.

At SCREEN Live in Mumbai on Friday, Shahid recalled the time he shot for the scene. He said, “When I went to do this shot, the camera was placed very far from me. I was given a lot of space. I didn’t want to use glycerin. I was there, in front of a grave. I asked them if I could sit, and they said, ‘Stand as of now, then you can maybe sit.’ So I don’t remember what exactly happened during that shot. I can’t recall a thing. The only thing I remember is that my hands were numb, maybe because I put them in the ice. It was quite cold there. The other thing I remember is Vishal sir holding me. They said the shot was over a while ago.”

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An adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Haider also depicted the dissension-hit state of Kashmir. When asked if it is possible to make a politically charged film in today’s time, Shahid quickly said, “No.” He added, “We can’t do controversial films anymore.”

Previously, Vishal Bharadwaj too spoke about this particular scene and told ETimes there was a moment in the film where Shahid finally found his father’s grave and broke down. The filmmaker shot the scene with a telephoto lens, so the camera was placed really far. Vishal asked Shahid to not feel insecure as it is not a close-up shot. But, in reality, it was actually a close-up.

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Shahid Kapoor at SCREEN Live,

Recalling Shahid Kapoor’s acting, Vishal said that the actor started crying and there were two cameras capturing him. The filmmaker then confessed that he didn’t feel like shouting cut after seeing him crying. Shahid stopped crying after Vishal walked up to him and hugged him. He said, “It’s cut, Shahid. It’s done.”