Merry
singleton Shahid Kapoor walks on the wild side. Filmfare coaxes out some tangy
revelations
(Read the full Interview in the latest issue of Filmfare or log on to www.fimfare.com)
Written By Ashwini
Deshmukh
Special Correspondent
Posted Mon, Jun 18, 2012
Try to crack a joke at his expense, he will beat you to the punchline. Shahid
Kapoor’s one helluva smart boy. He thinks on his feet, his moves off screen will
always be a mystery. He's been linked to Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Nargis
Fakhri and many more. But he deflects all my attempts to stymy him with the
moves of a grandmaster. In short, you can't pin Shahid Kapoor down. Easily, one
of the most gifted actors of his generation, Kunal Kohli's Teri Meri Kahaani
could be his breakthrough film. Mysteriously, for all his talent, his career
hasn't zoomed skywards as it ideally should have. Ah! The vampires of
showbiz. His entourage of managers guards him like hawks but unmindful of the
crowd in the room, I pose him one query after another. Excerpts...
Q. How was it working with Priyanka
Chopra again?
Whenever PC and I work together it’s always fun. And I’m sure
it’ll reflect in the film.
Q. You worked with Priyanka after a
reported breakup. Would you also work with Kareena who you were involved with at
one point?
I’ve never said no to working with her. I don’t know if she’ll
be comfortable though. I can only speak for myself.
Q. So what have you been up to with so
much free time on hand?
(Smiles) Celebrating my birthday in Goa!
Q. Tell us a little about your Goa
bash.
Well, there were 30 of us and we had a three-day pool party. It
was a blast. People ate when they felt like, slept when they felt like, went to
the beach if they felt like, went into the pool, lazed around… Basically they
were a few of my closest friends and we just had fun.
Q. Many stories filtered in about
Nargis Fakhri and you.
Of course, there would be stories. I’m an actor, she’s an
actress.
Q. So what exactly happened there?
Nothing. She came along with a lot of her friends and everybody
had fun.
Q. Reports said Nargis Fakhri had
shifted into your apartment.
(Laughs) I heard even her mother had shifted into my apartment!
No, seriously, I hardly know Nargis. We’ve met four or five times. We have a
common friend and that’s why she came for the party. People talk too much.
Nargis is not even a buddy, she’s an acquaintance. It’s absurd to say we’re
anything more than that. She has been to my house not more than twice with 10-12
people when I’ve had a get-together at home. There’s no reason for people to go
on and on about it. It’s annoying!
Q. Would you marry a woman who belonged
to the film industry?
I don’t know. I have no idea when I will get married. Industry,
non industry… God knows! When I fall head over heels in love with a girl, I will
tie her to my side and never let her go. Whoever she might be wherever she might
be, I don’t care. As far as there’s truth and there’s trust.
Q. Ranbir Kapoor and you have been
bonding a lot recently.
We kept bumping into each other, like at an award function. So
we hung around and got chatting. Once in a while we catch up. We both like fast
cars. He’s young and really chilled out. I’m comfortable with him. There is no
awkwardness. It’s nice to hang around with people your age.
We are back with the Interview of our 'Shanatic of the Month' (April) contest winners. We decided not to have the SOTM in May as we had selected two winners in April and that was a fair decision.
Our SOTM winners (April) had to wait longer than the others to see their Interview on the blog, as our team was extremely busy with other commitments. But now, the wait is over! Here's presenting our two winners, Kannupriya Gumber and Ishita Agarwal, who spoke to our Team Shahid's World representative, about Shahid Kapoor, the man we all love.
'Shanatics of the Month' (April) L to R: Kannupriya Gumber & Ishita Agarwal
SW: Hello girls! Congratulations on winning the SOTM contest in April! I know you both are truly happy about winning this title. So tell us, Which movie did you officially realise that you like Shahid?
Kannupriya: Jab we met. It's the first movie of Shahid Kapoor which I liked. I seen this film so many times. That's when I realised that I am in love with this man. That's when my Shanatic blood cells generated!
Ishita: I started liking Shahid after his first release Ishq Vishk. But, I wasn't crazy about him that time. It was only later that I realised, slowly and gradually, that I have started to like him and now, I've turned a Shanatic!
SW: Impressive! We all love swaying on SK songs. Plus, it's a treat watching him dance. So, which song of Shahid Kapoor is your ultimate favorite Dance number?
Kannupriya: I love all all the songs of his movies. But my favorite dance number is Sajh Dajh ke, Mukhtasar, Humse pyaar karle tu, Mauja Hi Mauja etc Sorry for ending up naming so many songs, but it's difficult to select one!
Ishita: I think all dancing numbers from his films are awesome, but I love Mauja hi Mauja and Aai Pappi. I just cannot stop grooving on these numbers. Also, they are lucky for me as I won 3 dance competitions where I had performed on these tracks.
SW: Well, we go through the same dilemma! So tell us about your all time favorite Shahid film and the reason you like that film?
Kannupriya: Wow! Such difficult questions. Well, as I am a Shanatic, I love all his films. But, Jab we met, Mausam, Vivaah etc are some films that are close to my heart.
Ishita: Undoubtedly Jab we met! I loved Aditya Kashyap in that movie. It's one of the most romantic films ever made.
SW: Wow, these questions are the easiest you will find girls! So, if you ever got a chance to meet Shahid, what would you gift him?
Kannupriya: Uffff!! I am eagerly waiting for that golden moment in my life, when I can meet him.
I would love to gift him a set of all time favourite music cd's, old and new. Also, a new Blackberry, just so that we can exchange our BB pins *just kidding* Also, some fresh Brazilian coffee beans!
Ishita: I would give him his portrait, sketched by me!
SW: Finally, any message for Shahid?
Kannupriya: Dear Shahid, You are my inspiration because you have inspired me a lot. You made me believe that impossible is nothing! You are not just a star, but a SUPERSTAR. A real human being, born with a golden heart. Thank you so much for everything Shahid!
Ishita: Shahid, You are my Idol & Inspiration. Be the wonderful person that you are. Wishing you the most happy, healthy and successful life. I will be your Shanatic forever.
Also, I want to thank Shahid's World from the bottom of my heart. Keep it up *Muaaaaaaaaah*
SW: Thank you so much girls! It was great chatting with both of you. Congrats again and Take care!
Interviewed, edited and presented by Team Shahid's World representative.
Actor Shahid Kapoor says house parties are more fun and he prefers them over club parties.
Talking at a promotional event of his upcoming film, Teri Meri Kahani at a college Shahid said, "There is no reason to stop partying...in fact I feel house parties are more fun, you can have your own music, food and enjoy completely. Are you guys so boring?the party should not stop. Don't you know how to do house parties?." "I love house parties more than being at a club or a pub," he said.
The 31-year-old actor was referring to the crackdown on a city's nightclub. Recently, Assistant Commissioner of Police Vasant Dhoble raided the Shiro nightclub in Worli, saying it was flouting rules. Also other popular nightclubs such as Club Escape in Andheri and Royalty in Bandra were raided. Not only Shahid, but even other B-town celebrities had expressed displeasure over the raid on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The Fanaa director faces questions on the Shahid-Priyanka chemistry, comparisons to Mausam and copying the Taiwanese film Three Times
Kunal Kohli’s next film Teri Meri Kahaani is set to release on June 22. After a not very excited response to its first trailer, the rom-com has finally managed to generate hype after the release of its fresh second trailer and the now-on-now-off romantic history of the lead pair – Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. But director Kunal is not new to this turf. He has two huge hit love stories to his name – Hum Tum and Fanaa. No wonder then that after spending many months writing a script on a political subject, he decided to go back to what he loves doing most – making love come alive onscreen.
You are making a love story yet again…
I had almost zeroed in on a political subject, but it didn’t work out. So I started all over again and wrote Teri Meri Kahaani. Guess everybody has their zone and love stories is what I am best at, so why not!
Shahid and Priyanka had reportedly broken up when you approached them for Teri Meri Kahaani. Was it difficult to convince them to work together again?
I shared the script with Shahid and Priyanka and they liked it. If there was any issue, they didn’t speak to me about it. I spoke to Shahid, and then I spoke to Priyanka separately, and they both agreed. It was that straight and simple.
Did you want these two as your lead couple for this script and no one else? Or did you think of casting them because of their chemistry and the hype around them?
See, the personality of the lead characters changes in every era. Shahid has done a double role earlier, in Kaminey, and Priyanka has played multiple characters in What’s Your Raashee? and 7 Khoon Maaf. I wanted them because I felt that they could do justice to the roles. And,of course, because they look good together!
The pre-Independence portions are in stark contrast to the early 20th century India we are used to seeing in the movies. It generally revolves around the Independence movement and revolutionary leaders….
I was tired of the pre-Independence period shown in movies. It was always portrayed as dull and colourless. I am sure it wasn’t that grim all through. So the character of the 1910 Shahid is that of a ‘dil fek aashiq’. There is colour and romance. His outlook towards the British is unique too. He doesn’t believe that Indians are slaves of the Brit rulers. He feels that they are our slaves instead and we can get work done by them.
Was Teri Meri Kahaani more difficult to shoot than your previous films, considering the story unfolds in three different eras?
It was interesting, actually. For the 1910 period we had to create a place that was almost like a Gaulish village in an Asterix comic – far removed from the uprising and the depressing environment. But yes, we have used authentic props – earthenware, glasses, the architecture and natural dyes and fabrics for the costumes.
This was more fun. Making a film like Fanaa was more difficult, because we had to tell a terrorist’s love story. I had to show Kajol kill a man she loves – those scenes were more difficult to shoot convincingly. In Hum Tum, I tried using animation (which was a first) in the narration of the love story. That was challenging too.
What about the 1960s portion?
I had a blast shooting that era. The story was set in the film industry, so recreating that atmosphere was fun. We created the streets, the trains and Mumbai’s buildings. I love Mumbai and I was very happy recreating this city. It’s probably my tribute to the city I love.
Do you get irritated that people are already comparing your film with Shahid’s last (Mausam), which was a box office dud?
I feel that as people see more promos, they will realise that there is no similarity between the two films.
Do you feel pressured because your lead actor’s last film was a huge flop?
As a director-producer, if your hero’s last film hasn’t done well, you are under pressure to deliver a hit. And if the leading man’s last film has been a huge hit, then you have the pressure of living up to that success. So both ways, there is always going to be pressure.
Has Shahid been the bankable star that you were looking for?
The main thing I would like to say here is that you will get to see a completely new Shahid in this film. We have never seen him as a Muslim character and as this confident flirtatious shayar that he is, in the role of Javed. I am sure he will get a lot of ‘wah wah’ for his dialogues and his shayari.
What about Priyanka?
Priyanka Chopra is one of the best actors we have today. She has done varied roles, but she doesn’t have that one quintessential love story to her name, like a DDLJ or a Jab We Met. She was very keen to do this film. She has never played a demure character before. There is a definitely newness to Priyanka in TMK.
Do you feel that you got that Shahid-Priyanka chemistry you were looking for?
There are two things on which the chemistry of your lead actors depends – the script and the background (the characters and the setting). Then you tell them what to do, and from there on the actors take it further. These two are very comfortable with each other and brought to the table what I was looking for. So yes, TMK is an entertaining and sizzling film that will bring a smile to your face.
You used shayari extensively in Fanaa and now in this film too, your lead character recites sher. You seem to be a big fan of this form of poetry? Did you write any of it?
Yes, I am a huge fan. I did help a little in the writing, and Prasoon Joshi has written some of it. We have also picked it up from other places. TMK has shayari that is more street smart, tapori and cheeky. These days we use a lot more rap, and club and house mixes. But we have forgotten our own art forms. Films like Kabhi Kabhi and Nikaah used shayari quite beautifully. I feel that using it in a mass medium like movies will make it easily accessible and fun, and will help popularise it.
You don’t have an item song in your movie…
First of all, I hate the word ‘item’ song! What the hell is that? These songs don’t last very long anyway. On the other hand, songs from my films like Hum Tum and Fanaa are still remembered and played on the radio even today. I feel that my film’s music should be immortal.
