London is the favoured shopping destination “you get everything there”

“Style is a way of expressing yourself; it’s a reflection of who you are and a part of looking cool, relevant and contemporary. In society, people perceive you by how you dress and how you look,” he says.

A versatile actor, Kapoor is also closely involved in styling the look for each character he plays. “Style and clothes are fundamental to creating a new visual or a new character each time. The look, his physical attributes and his personality have to be rediscovered,” he says. If the suave Aditya of Jab We Met wore sharp suits and a bespectacled look, Udta Punjab’s Tommy Singh sported dreadlocks, loose t- shirts with side zippers and winged shoes. Tommy Singh, incidentally, is Kapoor’s most memorable character, whom he styled along with Payal Saluja, the film’s costume designer. “He is a free radical character who is completely overthe- top and unpredictable. We created a look that justifies that personality,” he says. So the clothes were sourced from different parts of the world and then remodeled to create a unique style. The iconic winged shoes, which went on to become an intrinsic part of the musician’s look, came from London after Kapoor spotted them on a fashion portal. The character sported 14 tattoos to reflect his eccentric personality. “I looked into each of them because each tattoo defined a part of him. The dreadlocks, streaks of green in the hair, the shocking, over- the- top look; I always wanted to do that,” says the actor.

Always eager to experiment, Kapoor, however, doesn’t wear anything “that’s not me”. If his screen looks always reflect the personality of the character, his off- screen style reflects his mood and the occasion. “I like clothes that give me space for movement. I like ensembles that make me feel free and not claustrophobic,” he says. A typical day sees Kapoor shuttle between studios, meetings, the gym and his shoots. “The outfit should fit into various spaces because I cannot keep changing,” he says. While he isn’t too fond of accessories, Kapoor has an enviable collection of shades and sporty watches. “My face type allows me to experiment with different styles of shades,” he says. Even as he is counted among the most stylish in the film business, Kapoor doesn’t have any brands on his favourites list and often relies on his stylist Anisha Jain to bring him the best outfits from across the country. “Fashion, style and comfort are equally important for him. I like clothes that define me,” he says.