Shahid Kapoor’s first look, as Maharawal Ratan Singh in the upcoming film Padmavati, has left his die-hard fans and film buffs waiting for the December release with bated breath. This is not an exaggeration by any standards, looking at the number of shares and retweets of the poster on social media. “It’s a humongous film, it has been a year since we have been shooting for it. We are ready, it’s quite an overwhelming feeling,” he says. From the handle-bar moustache, the scar on his face to a blood-stained white bandhgala (kurta), and a tilak on his forehead, the actor evokes the ideal image of a Rajput warrior king in the poster. “Honestly, I feel that this is the most heroic character that I have played in my career. I feel somewhere that I am representing the heritage and the culture of the kings of Chittor. It’s really a privilege to play Maharawal Ratan Singh because he was a great warrior,” says the actor with pride.
Testing limits
The actor, who has been signed on as the brand ambassador for Reebok, has always taken fitness seriously. Even in the Padmavati poster, his form and muscular body evidences how much he has trained to get the warrior look. “As an actor I have to keep reinventing and rediscovering my silhouette depending on the kind of characters I play. Fitness becomes an integral part of it, otherwise it becomes impossible to achieve different looks, it requires a lot of physical labour to be able to change myself for different roles,” he explains.
Talking about his choice of roles, in recent years, from Kaminey, Haider, Rangoon and now to Padmavati, all of which are starkly distinct from each other, Shahid says that he just goes by his instinct when choosing a film, “I just look for something that excites me and challenges me every time. I don’t think too hard. If the role is letting me discover a different side of me, I take it up, I stick to the basics. Being here for 14 years I have realised that many a time we forget why we have chosen to be actors, so sticking to my gut and not being calculative guides me.”
But does he take advice from his illustrious parents, Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azeem, both of whom are highly respected actors in the industry? Shahid shares on a lighter note, “I have reached a point in my life when I only receive advice from everyone. My dad is a man of few words, very rarely would he make a comment. My mom is a lot more expressive, she tells me whatever it is. But I have been around for so long on my own, that it’s my journey now. The only person I discuss things the most with is Mira (his wife).”
Playing dad
Apart from his films, Shahid is a busy man, playing the real life roles of a doting father and a fun husband. His social media posts reflect the happy life he is leading, and he admits, his daughter Misha’s arrival has changed him completely. “I am a different person now, since I became a parent. It is life altering. Misha wakes up by eight in the morning and I also wake up at that time (when not shooting) and spend time with her. When I am at work and shooting, I chat with her on Facetime and she gives me flying kisses, that’s something I am really kicked about,” says the doting father.
Even as Shahid is always in the news for his films and his social media posts, his wife Mira Rajput too has managed to garner her own set of fans. She never seems to go wrong with her looks be it at a party or just when she is out and about in town with Misha. Bollywood insiders say this could perhaps be a run up to Mira’s debut. When asked if Mira would take up acting, Shahid clears the air, “She is more than happy to do what she wants to do, it’s her life and her decision. She looks stunning, but this is not for me to decide.”
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax