Shahid Kapoor admits he no longer wants to be overly sure of himself when choosing films. In an exclusive chat, he reveals he now avoids solo script decisions, invites multiple perspectives into narrations, and questions his gut as he searches thoughtfully for his next big, commercially successful yet artistically honest project.
“Although it feels great to walk around looking like you’re very sure of yourself, I don’t think I should be so sure of myself,” says Shahid Kapoor, now 23 years into the industry. From navigating rough patches to departing from solo script calls, Kapoor gets candid with The Hollywood Reporter India about what it really means to trust your gut as an artist.
While it may seem obvious to most that all actors select their own scripts, Kapoor introduces a perspective that is rarely spoken about, or realized. “The one thing I do tell my team now is that maybe I should not be deciding on my scripts. If you have a vivid imagination, you can imagine something a certain way, but maybe it’s not going to turn out like that."
He connects this to how his idea of an ideal relationship between an actor and director has changed. “I’m sitting in front of a filmmaker or a writer, and they are telling me their thing, and if I am connecting with it, I should do it, right? But I have changed that,” he shares.
This comes from his realisation that while he may know exactly what to do in front of the camera, that does not always mean he knows what film to choose.
“I might be driven by a very pure artistic instinct, and that might not always land for me,” he says. “I now insist on doing narrations not alone. I used to always do them alone,” he adds, explaining that he now prefers to have more than three people in the room to help him select a script.
When asked isn't it central for an artist to trust their gut, Kapoor says “No, not just my gut... not today.”
“I spent most of my career trying to bring two things together which I don’t think naturally sit together,” he says, talking about the challenges of bringing cinematic films to commercial spaces, and how he has told himself to “stop trying to bring these two things together, because it’s tearing you apart.”
Kapoor feels it is at this crossroads that you have to make a choice.
“If you’re wearing the crown, you will feel the wight of it. I’m not wearing the crown. I’m figuring out where I should be. I’ve had some very successful films, but right now I’m figuring out how to get that next really big successful film. I’m actually feeling lighter. I might not be super confident. Sometimes that’s great. It’s great to keep your eyes and ears open and see what happens.”
Kapoor will be next seen in Cocktail 2, scheduled to hit theaters on June 19. The film also stars Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna.