#HTCityCheers23 | Shahid Kapoor: I can’t even relate to my 23-yr-old self

Shahid Kapoor has gone from being the quintessential boy-next-door in films such as Ishq Vishk (2003), Vivah (2006) and Jab We Met (2007), to playing complex characters in Haider (2014), Udta Punjab (2016), Padmaavat 92018) and Kabir Singh (2019). He will next be seen in Jersey, where he’ll play a man who gets a second chance at pursuing his dream.

Kapoor admits that his debut age, 23, was, is and always will be a game-changer. He shares, “Ishq Vishk changed my life forever. It was everything. At that time, newcomers were not accepted, and I didn’t really think that I would get a shot. I randomly fell upon these ads and music videos, they happened to me. People started recognising me, so I started getting opportunities to do some auditions.”

The movie featured him alongside actors Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasury. “This newcomer film was happening, which at that time never got made. Films were only made with established actors or star kids [back then]. Random newcomers were never given a shot. But there was this crazy director, Ken Ghosh, who wanted to make a fun film full of newcomers, and I bagged it. That’s how it all started,” he adds.

Is he still the same Shahid Kapoor he was at 23 or have things changed? ”Not at all! I have changed tremendously and I can’t even relate to that part,” quips the actor.

The 42-year-old continues, “I don’t know why [I can’t relate to those years], because the beauty of life is to keep evolving and changing, and if it doesn’t, it teaches you something. You should never forget your roots, but then it also doesn’t mean that you refuse to grow. They are two very different things. I have met a lot of people who just refused to grow, so it’s their loss. You have to grow, that;’s the beauty of life. Goor or bad, you have the opportunity to change it. That’s a part of life.”