'Mausam' forced me to leave my comfort zone: Shahid Kapur

Shahid Kapur says working on Mausam, his father Pankaj Kapoor's directorial debut, forced him to get out of his comfort zone as an actor.

The actor, who took a year and half off from other projects to concentrate on the love-story set in the recent past, says he learnt some of the most valuable lessons in filmmaking by observing his father on the sets.

"He (Pankaj) pushed me a lot as an actor. When I signed up the film I knew that I wanted to learn and unlearn certain things. I mean, every actor has a comfort zone and knows that there are certain things which people like about him and he plays on them. I wanted to get out of that and Mausam helped me do that," Shahid told PTI.

The 30-year-old star, whose last few releases post Kaminey failed to create magic at the box office, essays the character of Squadron Leader Harinder 'Harry' Singh in the movie, which releases this Friday.

Shahid says the script of Mausam came to him as a birthday gift from his father about two-years ago.

"I have been running after dad to make a film with me for almost three years but he always refused. Finally, he agreed and about two-years ago he gave me this file on my birthday and said 'Happy Birthday, son', this is my gift to you this year," recalls Shahid.

He, however, denies that there was any compulsion for him to go ahead with the film because his father was directing it.

"Dad told me that I should do the film only if I have faith in the script," says Shahid, who sports four different looks in the movie, including a moustache for the first time.