‘In films, luck matters as much or more as talent’

Veteran actor Shakti Kapoor (right) believes that any actor’s success recipe is divided into talent and good luck, and it is never only one factor that can propel a person’s career. “I feel talent does count, but for someone to observe your talent, you have to do one film and that’s where luck comes in. I come from FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) Pune, and we were 11 boys and 10 girls, and I thought that out those 11 boys, 10 were better than me. The luck factor is so strong that out of those guys, only me and Naseeruddin (Shah) could make it in films,” says Kapoor, who has been part of huge hits such as Jaani Dushman (1979), Qurbani (1980), Naseeb (1981), and Rocky (1981).

Giving the example of his son Siddhanth Kapoor, who will soon make his Bollywood debut, and daughter Shraddha Kapoor, who is already 12 films old, the veteran actor says, “My son has studied filmmaking, and assisted (director) Priyadarshan in films; my daughter has done nothing. She was studying in Boston (US). Then she had come to Mumbai for holidays and she ended up doing films. The luck factor is so strong for you to become an actor, and then comes the talent.”

Talking about how the film industry has changed, Kapoor says that things are highly professional now compared to the earlier times, “but the luck factor is still there”.

SHAKTI KAPOOR CITES HIS OWN CAREER TO SAY THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH TALENT ONE HAS, ONE STILL HAS TO BAG A FILM FOR THAT TALENT TO BE NOTICED