Now I understand my privilege, responsibilities as an actor: Shahid Kapoor (IANS Interview)

He has completed 15 years in the film industry, is still receiving accolades for his role in "Padmaavat", has signed his first remake film and he is going to be a father for the second time. Life's busy for Shahid Kapoor, who calls himself a "different person".

"It's been a journey of a young kid who didn't know what it meant to be an actor. And now I understand my privilege and responsibilities and I am thankful for it. I'm also proud of what I've achieved and I feel the need to grow and evolve," Shahid Kapoor said in an email interview to IANS.

Shahid, who made appearances as a background dancer in the films "Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Taal", made his acting debut in the 2003 romantic comedy "Ishq Vishk".

From his portrayal of a teenage student that earned him the Best Male Debut at an award function to portraying hard-hitting roles in films like "Haider" and "Udta Punjab", or as the restrained king in "Padmaavat", he is counted as one of Bollywood's most bankable actors.

Shahid says his life's journey would "probably be a book".

"It has been 15 years in this industry and I've given a large part of my life to it, so I want to maximize my effort for this job. Yeah, I'm a very different person today," Shahid said.

The actor, who is a Reebok brand ambassador for which he has backed a new campaign, says the drive within him makes him unstoppable.

"People who are young, somehow seem to lack the drive and don't seem to be excited or charged and lack momentum. There are people who are much older, who have immense drive which is internally found. It comes when you're truly passionate about something.

"The fire is within and comes from the need to achieve something. If you have no need or desires, there won't be anything to be excited about," said Shahid, whose next films are "Batti Gul Meter Chalu" and the Hindi remake of Telugu movie "Arjun Reddy".

Shahid said that it was the first remake he was doing. "It's a very different journey. I've actually seen the film and loved both the lead actors and all the actors in the film; so there is this huge responsibility of a film that has achieved cult status and we want to make it as well if not better."

Shahid, who will step into the shoes of Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda for the emotional drama, is confident it is going to be an amazing character to play. "I fell in love with the character the moment I saw it and I am quite nervous about it and excited at the same time," he said.

It's not just his professional life that is keeping him busy, but he is also excited to be a father again. He already has a daughter named Misha with wife Mira Rajput.

"I think having a child makes you re-look at everything. Over the years you get used to things... The minute you have a child, the parent within you jumps out and you feel protective and want to give them the best life," he said.

"I just want to be there for my daughter and my second child! I want to spend my life with them. I want to know about their life. I hope that I'm a good influence. I hope I'm not stuck up and can allow them to fly. They have their own identity and destiny... Your job is to be there when they need you, that's it," said Shahid.

With life moving so perfectly, is Shahid ever scared of losing out on the fame and popularity that he has right now?

"No, I would not say that I'm afraid of losing out on fame and popularity. I'm afraid of losing out on opportunities to work with the best filmmaker or get the best opportunities or not being able to maximize my potential, or not being able to reach out to people that I could have. Fame and popularity are a by-product. The idea is to worry about what you do as opposed to what happens because of what you do," he said.

(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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