Simply Secure

Shahid Kapoor (SK): To begin with, obviously, your first sentiment is for the film. Then the next sentiment is for the filmmaker who has made this movie. We are talking after the second-day collections of the film have come in and we can see that the film is receiving so much love. It is showing tremendous growth even though the film has not released in many states. That has affected 35 to 40 per cent of the overall business. But I am so happy that the film is finally out and we are getting these numbers.

Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) sir has poured his blood and sweat into this film, just as everybody else has. The second thing I was aware of was that my role was not as author-backed as the other two. It did make me wonder ke log kya bolenge when they walk out of the theatre. Now, I am very relieved with the amount of appreciation my performance has received because it is difficult to play a role like this, where the other two roles are more author-backed than yours. It is also difficult to play a hero in the film where the villain is larger than life. These are dangerous areas to enter. But I have worked for 15 years in this industry and I am very secure as an actor. I just spoke to you about Sholay…

BOI: Yes.

SK: In that film, Gabbar Singh was the ultimate villain but when you look back, you think of Mr Amitabh Bachchan. His performance in Sholay is one of the finest performances in his filmography, one of his best films. It is films like these that have made him the legend he is today. You have to learn from seniors like him, you have to learn to make smart decisions. You also have to learn to build relationships with good filmmakers. And, most importantly, you have to learn to participate in films that go down in history. This film was an opportunity like that and I am very happy to have been a part of it.

Of course, I was always told that tu actor bada achcha hai lekin tere numbers kyun nahi aate? (Laughs). I am not blind to things like that. I understand that it's important. For every actor who has worked with Sanjay sir, you can compare their numbers before and after they worked in a Sanjay Bhansali film. He simply takes you to another level. It is important to recognise that. It is important to participate and create that kind of film for yourself.

SK: I was not hesitant or else I would not have done the film. I had this thing like, ek woh keeda hota hai na ke chal yeh karte hain. I had just done Udta Punjab at that point and a year or so before that, Haider had happened. I had won a lot of appreciation and awards for that, so I had seen all that before. I wanted to take up a challenge. And that is exactly what Sanjay sir told me. He said, 'Shahid, this is going to be a challenge.' So I said, 'Chalo, theek hain, karte hain.' Something inside me told me I was ready.

If this role had come to me four or five years ago, I probably would not have been confident enough to do it. But, now, as an actor I felt confident to do it. And, honestly, I really wanted to work with Mr Bhansali. I felt that even though this third character was not very author-backed, this film would not work if all these three characters did not work. I think people will see that when they watch the film.

SK: (Laughs). Yes, I think you need to be secure if you want things to work out. The industry is not about two years or three years, one hit or two hits. There are various phases you will go through in your career. You will see very big highs and you will see a lot of lows. And you need to be able to back yourself and believe in yourself to be able to perform consistently. I am at the stage in my career where I think I have worked enough and I feel very secure as well as confident. I am happy to do roles and films that I feel I should be a part of. This was a film like that.

Even though Udta Punjab and Haider have given me memorable roles, the kind of mass appeal a film like Padmaavat has, adds to my overall position. It is very important to do that. I can very proudly say that I feel a complete sense of ownership over this film. I don't think this film would have worked if any of the three characters didn't work.

SK: Yes, but uske baad maine thodi Haider type ki filmein ki na. I think it's very weird, how it all works out in the end. After R…Rajkumar, a film like Haider came to me. And after Udta Punjab, a film like Padmaavat came to me. So you don't know what a filmmaker likes or what connects with someone on what level. They may look at something and think of you in a completely different capacity.

It is not a time when you should do the same thing, over and over and over again. People will get bored if you do that. You have to keep trying different things. Every shot is not going to be a sixer. Sometimes, it is going to be a sweep, one run or two runs. Sometimes, you have to hit a four or over the bowler's head. In an over with six balls, a batsman has to have different shots. Every ball is not going to be the same. I think films are like that.

Every year, different opportunities will come your way. And you have to have the kind of repertoire as an actor, to have that flexibility. You have to do different things because different things come at different times. I think when filmmakers recognise that, they are not afraid to imagine you in any kind of role. It is not as if they will say that if an actor is doing this film, well then he will only do roles like that from now on. Now they say that if he has done one type of role, then he will play a different part too. That's the kind of actor I want to be.

SK: I have been lucky. In the first few years, I didn't think I would be offered anything other than 'chocolate boy' roles. I carried a 'romantic', 'chocolate hero' tag. I used to feel that yehi dete rahenge toh kab tak chalega. The day this goes out of fashion, I too will be finished. But it all changed with Jab We Met, where I did something different… I wore specs, I played a serious character, someone who wanted to commit suicide. Then, Kaminey happened, and it was a big one. I played a character very different from my previous image and people liked it. Things changed with these two films.

It is all about content now. You get good content, you have to participate. When I took up Udta Punjab, nobody wanted to do the film. It was an 'adult' film and a dark film. But it was one of the best films of 2016. So you have to do good films.

BOI: Today, in the happy zone that you are in, how do you see your journey of 15 years?

SK: Lots more to do. After a movie like Padmaavat, if I can feel like an underdog for 15 years, I know there are all kinds of challenges that are going to come, all kinds of ups and downs, but the only thing I can say is that ab toh sirf shuruwaat huyi hai. Padmaavat was just a means to an end. It is very important to do films which will give you bigger opportunities. You have to have the maturity to recognise that it comes your way.

You have humility too. It is very important to have a realistic sense of how people perceive you. And you have to have the ability to change that perception. But if you don't know what people think of you, how will you change that?

After working for a number of years, after seeing enough success and failure, I know that this is where I am, these are the opportunities and these are my choices. Now the choice I make will define how the next three years will turn out for me. Padmaavat was a very important choice in my life. I wanted to be a part of this film. I wanted people to see me in a film where I didn't have the best role and yet I made an impact. Sir came to me with it and said, do it. So I looked at him and said, okay I will.