'Don't want to separate my identity from Shahid'

Ishaan Khatter doesn't mind being known as Shahid Kapoor's brother. The young actor, who made his film debut with Beyond The Clouds and will make his Bollywood foray with Dhadak, says he never wants to separate his name from his half-sibling's name to create his own identity in the industry.

Ishaan, along with late veteran actor Sridevi's daughter Janhvi Kapoor, will be seen in Dhadak, scheduled to release on July 20.

"I have no intention to make a name for myself and to separate my identity from my brother's name. I am proud to be identified as Shahid's brother, there is no shame in it," Ishaan, son of veteran actor Neelima Azeem, said.

While Shahid is Neelima's son with her first husband Pankaj Kapur, Ishaan is her son with Rajesh Khatter.

"Creating a separate identify for myself was never my driving force and will never be," Ishaan said.

The half-brother of known to be 'chocolate-boy' of the industry told that his passion for cinema is his own and not borrowed from anyone else, be it his mother or his brother who made their respective mark in the industry.

"I believe if you are sincere with your work and you are good at it, then your identity will be created by default. Though it feels good if I am getting acknowledged for my work," he added.

Ishaan, on talking about memes, believes paying heed to negativity and hatred is of no use.

"When there is hate or negative comment, I try to ignore it, and try to not bother myself with such stuff. By spreading hatred, and if it is particularly directed at us, then that person is reflecting his own personality," said Ishaan.

"Sometimes people post encouraging things also, so I try not to get swayed by it and do much better than my previous work. But when there is criticism, I try to learn from it and try to understand the perspective of another person."

Dhadak is directed by Shashank Khaitan.