Shahid Kapoor is eager to break away from intense roles and put on his dancing shoes

He’s smart, suave, and stylish. He is Shahid (Kapoor). I ran out of adjectives as I walked towards the vanity van to meet the actor. All it took for him to put me at ease was one smile. There was a boyish charm about him that reminded me of his Ishq Vishk and Fida days, and at the same time the confidence he exuded reminded me of Udta Punjab’s Tommy Singh, which told me that here was my moment to have, what would be a wonderful chat, with the actor whose films I’ve always loved. It took me literally seconds to understand why a few colleagues from my team, all girls, wanted to interview him instead of me. The charm was infectious to say the very least. 

In an exclusive interview with Bazaar India, the actor, who has acted, danced, and smiled his way into our hearts, speaks about all things fashion, acting, taking a break from intense and deep roles, and what keeps him going. 

Harper’s Bazaar: Fashion is a means of expressing one’s self and who better than an actor to know this. How does it feel to be part of the Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion Tour, that's imagined together by Falguni & Shane Peacock?

Shahid Kapoor: It’s actually very cool, especially because of the themes that they have chosen. What I love the most about it is that it’s a tour and not something that’s done in one place. They’ve picked different themes for different cities, and I think that’s very nice. They’ve got some amazing designers and all of them are doing something quirky and different; Falguni Shane Peacock are doing the streetwear graffiti vibe, which I truly resonate with. I think I’m someone who’s from the streets. I came to Mumbai when I was 10 and never thought I’d grow up to become an actor. A lot of people think that my dad is an established actor and therefore I have had easy access to the industry. But I never lived with him and my mom, as a single parent, worked very hard for many years. I’ve literally stood on the road looking at hoardings, gone to theatres, dreamt of being an actor and waited for an opportunity to express myself. So, I love the fact that they have graffiti as a theme which is literally expressing art on the streets. When someone really needs to express themselves, all they get is a wall. It’s as basic as it gets. I love that and I’m very excited to be here. The venue is great, the stage looks amazing, their clothes are awesome and it’s going to be refreshingly different as a concept.

HB: As far as themes are concerned, what’s the one word that comes to your mind when you want to describe the Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion Tour?

SK: Freestyling. It’s all about expressing yourself in the most basic way you can. When you say graffiti and street art, there are no rules to the game. It allows you to do what you want to do. 

HB: What is a good story according to you? Are there any genres you want to explore more?

SK: A good story is one that hasn’t been told yet and that touches the heart. I want to explore all of them (genres). Every story can be said in a different way, and each genre is exciting. I, as an actor, believe in trying to reinvent myself with every film and express myself in different ways and tones. You have to jump genres or else you end up being repetitive.  

HB: You’ve done a host of dramatic roles, which can certainly be called intense. Considering how versatile you are, will we see you do more comedy?

SK: Yeah, I’d love to. In fact, I am doing a couple of films that don’t necessarily fall in the genre of comedy, but are entertaining and fun. There’s a lot of scope to be light-hearted. I think it’s a good break for me, since I’ve done some intense stuff for a while. I think my soul needs some time to recover (breaks into laughter) so my happy and fun side will come back to life. 

HB: How much of a character stays with you once the film has released? Do you easily move on to the next role, take a break, or take nothing away?

SK: I move on quickly. I literally start detoxing in the last week of shooting. I prepare a lot for my roles and get into the character really sincerely. Usually after my first schedule, I’m like ‘Can we just be done?’ because it’s so tough. 

HB: We’ve missed seeing you dance on screen for a while now. When do we get to see you doing that next?

SK: In my next two movies you will see me dancing like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t know if I remember anything (steps) because it’s been six years since I danced in a film. I, myself, am a bit curious to see how it goes and what I’ll do. But one thing is for sure, I’ll give it my best shot. 

HB: Do you see yourself directing at some point? 

SK: You know, it’s not like that thought never crosses people’s mind. I’m sure a DOP (director of photography), a writer or an actor would want to make a film. But the thing is, I have a lot going on and I have immense respect for filmmakers. Wishing to direct is like pointing out, ‘It would have been a six had he hit the ball it differently,’ while watching a cricket match. It’s easy to say it, but standing there and playing the ball is a different game altogether. You may think filmmaking is easy, but it’s complicated. And I think that I’m very busy as an actor right now and there’s a lot that I still need to do. I like to give 100 percent to what I do, and I don’t want to do acting and filmmaking simultaneously. I want to dedicate myself to one thing. 

HB: Considering that we get to see our favourite stars for a longer duration on a web series as compared to films, is there a reason why we haven’t seen you in one yet? 

SK: It depends on the length of the movie, because some of them are quite long. I do have a web series called Farzi, which will release on Amazon Prime in the next couple of months. 

HB: If you could spend a day with a character that you’ve played, who would it be and why?

SK: I’d choose one of the happy ones. I don’t know if I’ll be able to spend a day with Prem (from Vivaah) because he’s way too sweet. I don’t think it’ll be Kabir Singh. Rajiv Mathur from Ishq Vishk is a baby. I think it would be fun to spend a day with Tommy Singh (from Udta Punjab). It would be a fun 24 hours, as we’d paint the town red. 

Lead and square photos: shahidkapoor/Instagram