Happy Birthday Shahid Kapoor: The evolution, the many facets of his career
On Shahid Kapoor’s 40th birthday (February 25), we take a look at how his career panned over the past 18 years, the highs, the lows and the new phase.
In terms of sheer talent, Shahid Kapoor is right up there. Starting off as a background dancer, the actor graduated to music videos and films, and has since impressed the audiences with his range and intensity. On his 40th birthday (February 25), we take a look at how his career panned over the past 18 years, the highs, the lows and the new phase.
Romance-ing streak
One major aspect of Shahid’s career has been the number of romantic movies that he has been a part of, and he has done it with moderate to good success rate. Some of his most notable works in this genre include his debut Ishq Vishk (2003), Vivah (2006), Jab We Met (2007) and his last Kabir Singh (2019).
“I didn’t know that he was Pankaj Kapur’s son when I worked with him on Ishq Vishk. He was hardworking and good at his job. He has really done wonders with the genre of romantic film throughout his career,” says filmmaker Ken Ghosh, who has also worked with him in Fida (2004).
Roller coaster career graph
The actor’s talent and hard work have always been commended, but his inconsistency with his films at the box office is also something that can’t be ignored. However, even after the string of flops, Kapoor is one actor who has always managed to come out and come back stronger every time.
Trade expert Taran Adarsh notes, “Shahid has had many bad patches in his career; he’s one actor who has seen many flops in his career. But the best thing about him is how he has always managed to make a strong comeback. That’s what a star is all about.”
Bold and Experimental
Shahid is also one of the very few actors in Bollywood, who has consistently experimented with his roles. From a double role as a lisper and a stutter in Kaminey (2009), to troubled Kashmiri boy in Haider (2014), a drug addict rockstar in Udta Punjab (2016) to a Rajput prince in Padmaavat (2018), he has aced all of them.
His Batti Gul Meter Chali director, Shree Narayan Singh says, “More than growth, I see a process of realisation in Shahid’s trajectory over the years. He has not only stayed true to his initial potential but has taken his career arc upwards enhancing it continually by adding nuances to his natural ability. He has matured both as a human and as an actor simultaneously.”
A new chapter with Kabir Singh
Hailed by many as his most outstanding and career best performance, Kapoor’s career got a huge boost with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Kabir Singh, an adaptation of the filmmaker’s Telugu film, Arjun Reddy. The film did catapult him overnight into the ranks of the top actors in the Hindi film industry. Post that he’s set to star in another Telugu remake, Jersey, besides making his web debut.
“Kabir Singh changed the way Shahid is looked at as an actor. He became a box office disrupter with it and I’m sure that he’s going to carry on this momentum in his upcoming films,” notes film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi.
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