M! Talks To Shahid Kapoor

A lot has been said of Shahid over the last few months. Some have called him arrogant, others have labelled him the spurned lover while certain critics have refuted claims that he is part of the main league. Yet Shahid has proven time and again that he is not afraid of media speculation or controversy – both of which he has had plenty of in the recent past. Starring in the recently released Teri Meri Kahaani with ex-girlfriend Priyanka Chopra, Shahid is in high spirits irrespective of a gruelling publicity schedule that saw him dash from one city to another. Even after the release, Shahid isn’t taking it easy and has been constantly talking about his film. The critics haven’t been too kind to the film and the box office response has been tepid too but no one has faulted his performance in the romcom. He is at his charming best with a dose of humour and a hint of sarcasm. As his movie is about love that finds its way in every life time, we grilled him on various questions about everything to do with the heart. In an unusually open and candid interview he reveals all about what makes him tick!

Would you call this your toughest role yet?
I wouldn’t call it my toughest but it would definitely be one of the most enjoyable roles of the recent past. Kaminey was particularly tough whereas Mausam saw me in a completely different light. This movie was very enjoyable rather than tough. My three characters have been fun to play because they are all so starkly different and interesting in their own way.

You’ve often said that playing the Muslim guy was the toughest, why?
When I said ‘toughest’ I didn’t mean that in terms of difficulty. Actually, my mother has always wanted me to play a Muslim guy since I’ve played the Punjabi munda, representing my father’s lineage, so many times. This time my mother wanted me to play a man from the other side of the family, namely a Muslim guy. The character, Javed, is very flamboyant and badtameez! He has no inhibitions when it comes to confronting people with his opinions, he roams around with the buttons of his kurta wide open, sprouts shairis as pick-up lines not because he is any sort of poet. It was refreshing to play a character like that.

You have mostly played the urban guy in your films. How do you prepare when
playing a character that is so different from your personality?
An actor always fears being typecast in a role; experimenting is an absolute must. The audience accepted and liked me as an urban guy but I did not want to be set in stone as one! My characters, especially Javed, are different from anything I have played before. Through him, I exploited my inner badtameezi (laughs)! I could be a brat without worrying about the consequences, as long as it was in front of the camera!

Do you have a special affinity for love stories?
I wouldn’t say Teri Meri Kahaani is as serious as that. It’s light-hearted and deals with more about enjoying romance than anything else. Yes, it does deal with two people who are attracted to each other through different lifetimes. It just goes to show that one half of you will only be complete when it finds its twin.

Hits and misses are a part of every actor’s life; how do you deal with this?
The key here is to accept things as they are. When a movie becomes a hit, there is very little to complain about and naturally you’ll be happy about it. When it doesn’t do well, once you are past the initial disappointment the best thing to do would be to reflect on what you could have done differently and then move on! Sadness is as temporary as happiness – you take what you can from the moment and move on to the next thing.