OVER SUCCESS OR FAILURE’

Titas Chowdhury

Asuccessful actor, a loving husband and a doting father, Shahid Kapoor has balanced his personal and professional life pretty well in all the years that he has been working in films. His last year’s release, Kabir Singh, created a stir at the box office and right now, he’s shooting for his next, Jersey (Hindi remake of the 2019 Telugu film by the same name), a sports drama in which he essays the role of a cricketer for the first time. As Shahid turns 39 today, he stresses that this year, he wants to connect to his inner self, remain “a student for life” and “stay good and pure”. He plans to celebrate the day working on the sets of the film, surrounded by colleagues and family. Excerpts from an interview:

So, it’s a working birthday for you this year. Any special plans?

I’m celebrating my birthday in Chandigarh, as we’re shooting here. I might get a little time off once my family is here and I’ll be spending some time with them. It’s a working birthday as I’m in the middle of the schedule and didn’t want to take a break.

Is there any professional or personal goal that you want to fulfil as you step into a new year? Being grounded is very important. Success and failure come and go, but family is priority for me. To sustain a long career, you need to stick to the basics and stay connected with yourself as a human being. I feel very fortunate that I have two kids (Misha and Zain) and my wife (Mira Rajput) by my side. I’m happy that we’re always there for each other.

Walking down memory lane, what are some of your fondest birthday memories you can recall?

I have memories from my birthdays during childhood that include some bad behaviour on my part. I was quite into gifts. I’d grab gifts from the guests and run away. My mum would get very embarrassed. She’d call me back and ask me to thank them and behave well. But, I was very greedy for gifts. That’s something I remember and I hope I can teach my kids to not be like that (laughs).

Last year was a game-changer for you. With Jersey releasing this year, is it already looking exciting? What happened with Kabir Singh is something that made us all extremely happy. It was a great year. Eventually, an actor understands that nothing matters more than the love and connection you have with the audience. They gave Kabir Singh much more than what any of us had expected. I’m very grateful and thankful for that. I don’t want to assume that everything I do will be the same. But, the only thing I want to do is to give my audience a really good film. When I saw Jersey, it moved me emotionally. I felt that the message that the film gave, was very inspiring. Also, it’s a very sensitive film about the victory of human spirit. I wanted to take the story forward and share it with a wider audience. I enjoy giving people something new and fresh each time. I don’t believe in formulas, and today, audiences want to see different things. My upcoming film will have its own unique energy and a very different character to offer the audience.

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Monika Rawal Kukreja

Not one to follow set norms, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has believed in doing things at her own will and pace. She has completed a decade in Bollywood, but one look at her filmography — four feature films, three anthologies and two episodes of a web series — and it’s evident that she isn’t running any race. “I don’t feel I need to keep having a release,” she says on being asked why she doesn’t direct more often.

She made her directorial debut with Luck By Chance (2009), and followed it up with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and Gully Boy (2019).

“I took so long to make (my first) film. So, when I finally did it, I actually made two films back to back and I was exhausted,” shares Zoya, further revealing, “At that point, I was also dating a Spanish guy who lived in London (UK) and I spent a lot of time away, in Europe, with him. So, it was kind of a break I took because I had been working consistently.”

Refusing to compare her body of work with other Zoya admits she needs to get that “push” from within before she decides to make a film. “I have to have a story I really want to tell, and then it makes sense to put things out there. If you see, 2018 was again crazy for me. I did Lust Stories, Made in Heaven and Gully Boy. So, I have those spurts where I get completely mad because I have those stories to tell, but if I don’t have, I’m happy to kick back also,” explains Zoya, who also writes, “that’s why it takes me much longer to get there and direct”.

Having explored a variety of genres including her last, web anthology Ghost Stories, Zoya has certainly not put her cinema into any box. And perhaps that’s why she doesn’t have a particular genre in mind when it comes to writing scripts.

“I like movies too much. I watch all kinds of films. I feel all filmmakers are basically audiences. Because you love the movies is why you’re here pursuing it as your life, your compulsion, your profession. I like all genres. Tomorrow, if I want to repeat a road movie or a rap film, I will. I’ll do what I want and make any story that excites me,” says Zoya, who currently is looking for a good gangster film story. “Now that’s my favourite genre, but I haven’t come across any material that I want to tell. I’m actively searching because I want to do one,” she smiles.

It has been quite some time since Dil Dhadakne Do that Zoya directed her brother, actor Farhan Akhtar. Asked if there are any plans to team up soon and pat comes a reply, “I don’t know. Find me a gangster film. Farhan and I are dying to do one. We are looking for a good script.”

After spending 10 years in Bollywood, ask her how she has evolved, and Zoya says she enjoys doing things she hasn’t done before. “I have friends and experiences from everywhere; I’ve worked in all kinds of locations and situations and job profiles, so there’s a varied experience that comes handy. It’s nice when you do something you’ve to push yourself for. Then, you’re a little more alive, awake, excited with fingers crossed ‘Will I get it right?’ I like that,” she ends.