Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, one of the stars of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, feels he has had to work harder than his peers to build a successful career. But he’s still grateful.
In Padmaavat, Kapoor plays Maharawal Ratan Singh, said to be a comparatively lesser known historical character than Alauddin Khilji or Padmavati.
Just as he was pitted against two author-backed characters in the film, in real life he was between two big stars Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, who have together delivered hit films like Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani.
“I think I always had to work much harder to get a good opportunity and had to wait longer than many, to get a milestone in my career. But I view it like this — God has given me the opportunity to learn, has given me a destiny of a student. I have never given the same exam in life, but different,” Kapoor said. “That is how I learnt different things in life and that has added to my experience.”
He believes Padmaavat threw up a tricky opportunity that could have gone wrong.
“But I took that risk because I have seen how after working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir, actors have got a huge mileage in terms of audience reach and success,” he added.
This was the first time Kapoor was working with Bhansali.
“I think Sanjay sir has a tendency to keep pushing and trying until he gets exactly what he wants from a performer. His passion to achieve excellence is much focused and therefore, he looks like a taskmaster. It is nothing negative, I would rather say that people who do not have that desire to achieve excellence, should not work with him,” Kapoor said. “As a director, he is not difficult. He is just a genius and focused.”
Kapoor was confident about the film and not worried about its box office earnings. However, he was concerned with a deeper aspect of his decision to take on the project.
“I questioned myself. Can I take the ownership of this film? Can I stand tall and say that I took a right decision by doing this film? Will I be able to perform my best before a filmmaker like Bhansali? Will I make the presence of my character felt in the film between two author-backed characters?” he asked.
That’s when Kapoor went back to the classics to find inspiration for his performance. He sought reference points from veterans such as Dilip Kumar of Mughal-e-Azam and Amitabh Bachchan from Sholay.
Asked about how his father, veteran actor Pankaj Kapur, reacted to the film, he said: “Dad gave me a long hug, pulled my cheek and said we will talk about the film over a cup of coffee. But since then, I did not get a chance to go out with dad. I think I have to go for that.”
Not reeling under the hangover of an intense character like Maharawal Ratan Singh, Kapoor says he has wife Mira and daughter Misha to unwind with.
“Thankfully, I have Misha. It just takes 30 seconds for me to unwind,” he added.
