Shahid Kapoor On Style, Reinvention & The Possibilities Of AI

At a time when Bollywood is chasing both innovation and identity, Shahid Kapoor stands at the intersection, a performer who refuses the comfort of repetition, choosing instead the unease of evolution. The actor has completed 23 years in Bollywood & in this two-decade plus career has carved out his own cinematic language.

We caught up with him on the side lines of the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, where he walked the ramp for Falguni Shane Peacock, to talk about style, cinema and the evolving dance between fashion and technology.

What defines style for you?

Style is very, very personal. Firstly, I think it starts with an expression of yourself, there has to be some aspect of you in fashion. I think at the same time, you have to be aware of trends internationally and understand what you kind of resonate with, how you’re feeling, sometimes it can change by the day, sometimes it can be consistent for years. So there are aspects to fashion. I think there are certain elements of fashion which will always be classic. I am an old school guy, I love classic stuff, but at the same time, it’s like you need to, change it up once in a while, and express yourself differently. Of course, being an artist, you have different moods, different characters, and different aspects of yourself which come and express themselves, depending on your state of mind or your creative mindset at that point in time. So fashion is a great opportunity to be able to explore those aspects of yourself, to you and sometimes to the world.

In your film Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, your leading lady (Kriti Sanon) played a robot. Now with AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood making her debut, do you feel we are on the cusp of an inevitable future?

When we did this film a lot of people were saying, “you’re doing this film, which is about this robot – will people even get it?” and we all felt that we don’t realize how close AI is and how fast things are catching up. It’s almost upon us at this point. And I don’t think we can run away from it. I do feel that in the next five to 10 years, the world will change exponentially beyond what we can imagine. I think we’re all waiting to see how this plays out, and the possibilities are endless. It’s going to be a matter of time, and we’ll have to learn to adapt and evolve and also take certain responsible decisions.

You’ve also been shooting for Cocktail 2 in New Delhi, your first collaboration with Homi Adajania.

I must say that I’m thoroughly enjoying my time with him. I haven’t done a film of this nature in a while, and I think he did a very good job with the first one. I understand his sense of humour and his point of view towards people, their humanity and their imperfections, and how he treats it with a sense of reality. It’s very, very entertaining. I think that lens that he brings on to this story, which is kind of a new story with new characters, but still falls very much within the world of Cocktail.

You’re also collaborating with Vishal Bhardwaj for the fourth time for O’Romeo. He has played a pivotal part in your career. What’s that creative synergy like?

I just believe that there is some X factor that we share. Whenever we come together, I feel we’re able to bring out the best in each other, and that he’s fundamental in my career graph. He has brought out certain aspects of me as an actor which I wasn’t aware existed. Once you open up on certain aspects of your personality or your performance, it contributes to your repertoire as an actor tremendously. I do feel that O’Romeo is a very special film. It’s a great story. It’s a love story at its heart but it’s also got a lot of action. It’s very quirky. The world that he creates is always very fresh. I’m hoping that we can give the audience a cinematic entertainer, which comes rarely these days.

It has been 23 years for you in the industry. Has your process changed?

The only thing that I would say has changed is that I think I’m okay with what I’m doing in front of the camera. I think now my focus is on having a good time with the people that I work with. I think it’s very important to enjoy yourself and build memories. As you grow older, as you live more of life, you realize that the best of life is in front of you. You want everybody to have a good time. You want to give out good energy. So that’s something that I’ve been focusing on a lot. I know it might not be directly related to work, but I think the energy that you put out participates in all aspects of your life. I feel that is very central for me right now. I think self-work, being the best version of myself, and putting good energy out — those are the two things that I’m really working on right now.

At this stage, what’s important for you — reinvention, longevity or taking deeper creative risks?

They are all important. I want all of that. I think reinvention is something that is always the most exciting aspect of what you do. It might not be something that you can do all the time, because eventually an actor can only feed off the script and the character. Longevity is important to all of us, and everybody who gets to their 40s understands that one has to use their experience to make yourself a better version of who you were in your 20s.

As for creative risks, if you feel safe about what you’re doing, you’re probably repeating yourself, or taking off from what somebody else has done, which you have seen is successful. If you are feeling unsure, if you’re feeling like you don’t know how it’s going to turn out, the result doesn’t matter, because you’re being original.