Shahid Kapur’s seasons in the sun

Kapoor’s favourite adage has obviously held him in good stead. To his credit,the actor,who first came into limelight as a fresh-faced lovestruck teen in a music video for the band Aryans,has come a long way since then. A freshly minted 30,Kapoor,in his eight-year career,complete with a fair share of hits and misses has ample reason to be proud. After Vivah,Jab We Met,Kaminey and Badmaash Company,Shahid,along with Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan,seems safely poised to stake a claim to superstar status. The industry is positively bullish on the actor who,after completing Mausam (being helmed by his father Pankaj Kapur),starts work on Kunal Kohli’s romantic film opposite Priyanka Chopra,and other projects with producers Ramesh Taurani and Sajid Nadiadwala.

In a happy space,Kapoor gets talking about the upward climb,growing up and on why he’s here to stay.

Is there any particular reason for keeping a low profile this year?
I don’t want to do anything heavy as I am not in that mindspace. Frankly,I have just been busy with Mausam and then chilling with friends. Last year,with Badmaash Company,Paathshala and Chance Pe Dance,was a little busy. Since May 2010 till March this year,I have just been working on Mausam.

Is it true that you have a slew of films signed up for next year?
There is a Kunal Kohli’s film with Priyanka Chopra,which is a love story. I am in the process of meeting a lot of people and discussing scripts. I have not really felt like reading any scripts but I need to get back now that we are in the last 30 days of Mausam.

I think I am going to keep myself busy because I realised that I love being on the sets. I like being busy. It’s a big part of me and defines who I am— a typical actor who does not have much of a life beyond the sets. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. So yes,I will work a lot and also make time for people who matter in my life.

Considering your close involvement with your father’s directorial venture,Mausam,would you consider donning the director’s hat?
It’s certainly not something I have on my mind. Even being the director’s son is so painful! (Laughs) However,I have learnt to never say never. For the time being though I will focus on acting. I will behave like a star for a change— I have not done that for a year,so yeah,I will get back to that.

Quell our curiosity and tell a bit about Mausam.
Well,it’s a love story spread over 12 years. It is the journey of two people who come across each other at various points -various seasons,seasons of love,so to speak. That’s why it’s called Mausam. Over these 12 years,both the boy and girl pretty much drive the film. I play an air-force officer. My character’s name is Harinder Singh. So there is a backdrop of the airforce but it is essentially a love story. I have not done anything like this before. A very mainstream film,Mausam is a labour of love—-the whole family has been involved with it for a year and a half.

Every Hindi film is essentially a love story,so what sets Mausam apart from the regular fare?
A lot of things are new—the character that I am playing,the journey the characters undertake…Actually,the way dad looks at scenes and situations and the way he writes his characters is what will set it apart. While making it,I felt it’s very different.

Since you speak of journeys,does the movie travel to a lot of places?
Yes,as I said,it travels over time,seasons and places,so we shot in Punjab,Scotland,Mumbai,the airforce base in Gwalior and Rajasthan.

Are your boyish looks still a problem?
I debuted very young at 22,so my appearance was a bit of a problem initially,but now that’s an advantage— I can carry off looks that are both young and mature. Ishq vishq was a college film so I got by but thereafter it was a struggle to find (films that were) the right fit. Every director would come and say,“Yaar,tere saath to heroine hi nahin milti.”

In Mausam,my character moves from the age of 19 to 30. If I was somebody who looked older,I wouldn’t be able to do the first part of the film and if I looked younger then I wouldn’t be convincing in the second part. I am at a place where I can jump both sides,which is great because in my head,I am an actor first and then a star.

Speaking of heroines,opposite you,surely there is no dearth of them now?
Abhi to bahut heroines hain. I am working with Priyanka and Sonam but I haven’t worked with Deepika,Katrina,Sonakshi…so many actually that I would love to work with at some point.

There has been a lot of speculation about a romantic association with co-star Priyanka Chopra. Your comment.
Speculation is not new. It’s been happening ever since I turned single. Really,I am just a sweet,innocent boy with these rumours swirling around me (Laughs). The last time I was in a relationship,people went to town when I broke up and now it’s about who I am with. So the speculations will continue but I am not going to talk about my personal life. Everyone will know when they have to — say when I get married.

Do your parents worry about it?
All the time. They say,“Yaar,tum shaadi kar lo!” And I keep telling them ki pehle ladki to mile! Their answer is always the same-ladki mil jayegi!

So have you found the ladki yet?
(Laughs) Abhi tak shaadi wali ladki nahin mili!

Getting back to work matters,what is it that sets Shahid Kapoor apart from the rest?
As an actor,it is important to prove to the audience and your directors that you can break the mould and do something different. You can’t do that with every film,but Mausam I think is a film that has given me the opportunity. If you look at actors across the world,there are seven or eight pathbreaking performances in their long-spanning careers,and that is a big number. Over a span of 25-26 years,if you get that many defining films,you are lucky. I think I have already had a couple of them in my career-span of 6-7 years,which is great. But it’s equally important to do normal stuff and connect with the audience as yourself in the film.

For what kind of movies would you now sign up?
I am very greedy. I want to do all kinds of cinema. I have reached a point where I feel like,bring it on. I want to do stupid films,intellectual films,extremely massy films,latkas and jhatkas. I am happy to go out there and make a fool of myself and when you are ready to do that,it becomes a lot easier.

I am 30,with about 15 years ahead of me,so yeah,I don’t want to be scared.

Why have you not repeated the directors with whom you have worked?
(Laughs) Why are you saying that? It could be the other way around—perhaps they are not working with me!

Fortunately,we know each other well enough to choose as we please. It is a creative process and one should have the freedom to work as one pleases. I don’t like to be tied down by an individual or to tie anyone else down. It’s not like saath mein film ki,aur chal gayi to ek aur karni padegi. I am sure there are directors I will work with again and I have told them so—people like Vishal,Soorajji—but it depends on the film or a part. It is not an essential requirement or a need.

The public perception of you is very good,so are you the picture-perfect hero in real life too?
One’s image should always be good. But I have several imperfections. For one,I think I am very moody and inconsistent. I am a little extreme in my reactions. If I like someone,I love them and if I don’t then I totally keep away. I am socially shy. My emotional quotient is very high. My emotional attachments are very strong. I keep discovering things about myself.

With the advent of Imran Khan,Prateik,Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh,do you suddenly find the 20-something space more crowded?
Good. The more,the merrier. It is always good to see a good performance and feel inspired. What matters is that my films and work should be good and that I should have my own connect with the audience. Beyond that,I really don’t care whether that place is crowded or empty.

Considering you have more experience than them,how do they compare?
Most of them are still young. They have made a mark pretty fast though they came in some years after me,but they have yet to break the mould which,given their talent,I am sure they will. It is important to widen your horizon. You should do what you believe in because you never know what will work or not. Eventually you will figure out a way to make it work.

My biggest fear as an actor,has always been to be typecast and put in a small box. I was always looking for opportunities to do different things and I got that opportunity in both Jab We Met and Kaminey and now again in Mausam,so I think that’s something all of them should try. That being said,a lot of times it really feels like some of them are doing better work than what I did in my first three films. Each new generation is starting off with more polish.

Being a good dancer,how is it that dance has not been the highlight of your films?
I kept running away from it,because otherwise it would have become a necessity in every film that I did. In a film like Kaminey,it’s not important that I dance. Character ke kya traits hai,kya behaviour hai,us hisaab se hona chahiye. So I needed to run away from that because I felt people were forcing it in every film as it was something they knew I was good at. But it’s a huge part of who I am and I enjoy dancing. So if the right film comes along I would like to surprise the audience.

Considering last year was a mixed bag,did the success of Badmaash Company after Vivah,Jab We Met and Kaminey better your prospects as a solo hero?
I will never be satisfied. I will always want more. Yes there is a certain amount of dependability that comes over a period of time. But there’s a long way to go. It’s high time that we younger ones should break some records now,so we should work harder. Maybe we are not working hard enough or knowing enough or aren’t that lucky,but yes,it’s time to do stuff that pushes the envelope creatively as well as at the box office.

Why is it that no member of your generation has been able to break into the big boys’ league occupied by the Khans,Ajay Devgn,Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan?
They are such big stars and so good at what they do that they are able to create cinema in spaces that you wouldn’t expect. It takes time for every generation to establish itself as it’s a complicated business. But I think that gradually the younger lot is getting established.

Who is you favourite actor among your contemporaries?
I like Hrithik. I think he’s outstanding. In addition to the fact that he is a good dancer,he is extremely sincere and honest. He doesn’t take his stardom for granted as some people do.

Do star kids really have it easier?
Not to take away from the achievements of those from film families,there is absolutely no comparison to what a person who gives auditions,faces rejections and finds his place in the sun goes through. The most difficult is to get that one chance. If Ishq Vishq had not happened,I wouldn’t know what to do.

Considering your parents are well- known actors,it could not have been that bad?
My parents separated when I was three,so I didn’t really spend any time with my father and I came to Mumbai when I was 10,so I never got that opportunity to connect with him. We began to connect only when I turned 18. Then again,dad is not social,so a lot of times people didn’t even know that my parents are actors. I went about work on my own. It was only after signing my first film that that I told them about it.

How do you feel about having the power to make people happy with just a photograph or a handshake?
It’s a huge thing that you can make them happy or sad,but you can’t control whether you or someone else can wield that power over them,so it’s also very scary.

Any films that you liked recently?
Films are about great cinema,great performances and scenes. I saw Black Swan and Natalie Portman was pathbreakingly good in it. To see such a dramatic interpretation of Swan Lake was impressive.priyanka.sinha@expressindia.com