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Talent has to translate into numbers: Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor on why he is sure that success won’t evade him

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Shahid Kapoor
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Shahid Kapoor has that special, sometimes non-essential quality you find among Bollywood superstars: he has serious acting chops. But, film-wise, not much gets him excited, and not much has brought him the success he deserves. But this year, with collaborations with two intense, artistic minds — Vishal Bhardwaj and Sanjay Leela Bhansali — Kapoor seems poised to cash in on everything that’s his due. Here’s an excerpt from the cover story of GQ’s February 2017 issue:

Talent tales

“Talent comes second, sometimes even third. Your talent has to translate into numbers. I’m always told I’m the guy who hasn’t got what I deserve. There are a lot of people who’ve hit big numbers, but their talent is average.

Different people have different graphs. You just have to keep working and something will hit the right note. And that’s when it’ll happen. With me, it’s been a wait. And that’s changed me as a person. I’ve become process-oriented, instead of result-oriented,” he continues. “And honestly, by the time that kind of success comes to me, I won’t really care about it. There’s already a part of me that doesn’t care — because I know that’s one relationship I can’t afford to be emotional about. But I know that success will come. It has to, otherwise my entire career won’t make sense.”

Being snooty

“Three or four years ago, I was a bit snooty. I can understand why people may have found me arrogant or unapproachable. You know, when you start acting, you start with so many ideas. You’re idealistic. You want to show the world how things need to be done. And then it hits you, and you understand you’re only as good as the opportunities you’re given. You’re an actor — you’re going to be hired for a job.”

Picking his roles

“Being my father’s (Pankaj Kapoor) son and having had the kind of upbringing I’ve had, I always felt the need to play characters, and not just a persona. Which is what many superstars do. It’s just that persona, and different clothes. I need to physically transform myself. I try and create a new silhouette for the character. Which is why the long gap between my releases.

And, often, you realise you’ve become a version of that character, even in real life. I sometimes wonder what I would physically look like, if I wasn’t an actor. I’ve changed my look so often, sometimes I can’t identify my original self.”

I think every actor realises there are many different versions of ourselves residing within. You’re experiencing, after all, what a normal person would in a few lifetimes.”

Read the full interview here

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