He's unperturbed about being the son of a prolific character actor from the 80s and 90s (Shakti Kapoor), and the sibling of one of the top leading ladies in Bollywood (Shraddha Kapoor). “Slow and steady always wins the race“, is what he believes in. Even as he prefers working on one film at a time, Siddhanth Kapoor, who plays Dawood Ibrahim in the Haseena Parkar biopic, has plenty running on his mind. In a conversation with BT, he lets it all out. Excerpts...

It's often difficult to inhabit an unreal space with your real sibling. Given the close bond you share with your sister (Shraddha), was it challenging to portray an intense brother-sister equation on screen?
It was a bit of a challenge. One day, we shot a scene in which I was being beaten up. Shraddha, who plays Haseena, had to cry and she broke down for real. Since the camera was on, I couldn't even wipe her tears, but afterwards, I hugged her. It required a lot of switching on and off between the shots because some scenes were extremely overwhelming. Come to think of it, it's easier to get into a character than getting out of it. The lens, prosthetics, clothes and the set help you tune into a character, but it's not as easy to snap out of it. As for sharing screen space with Shraddha, our shoot went off well because apart from being siblings, we're friends. As kids, we used to do a lot of nautanki in front of the mirror at home, and we're very comfortable in each other's company.

Since you were the first one to be signed on for the film, did the change in the leading lady affect you? Sonakshi Sinha was the original choice...
I don't think too much about it. It's a blessing that my sister and I ended up working together. That's what matters.

Reportedly, your mother, Shivangi visited the set twice, but your father never did. What does he have to say about Haseena Parkar?
Dad was busy with his own commitments. He said, 'Main kya karoonga aake tumhare set pe?' He was clear that he'd give his verdict only after seeing the film. It's easier for us to impress mom than him. He's hard to please. His comments are always subdued and he's extremely critical of everything. You need someone like my father in every household. A critic like him will keep you on your toes.

People often draw parallels between your father's career and yours, particularly because you both had a slow start. Do you agree?
Even Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar had a slow start, not just my father. Ultimately, it takes that one film to be recognised. I have done some good work and I am doing some more now, so I don't feel the need for THAT one film. Slow and steady always wins the race, I will only take up films that interest me.

But you are often accused of taking your career rather lightly...
On an average, I've done one film a year since I started out. It's unfortunate that some of them haven't released. Also, acting isn't the only thing that I do. I also run an entertainment company, make music and travel, which take up a lot of my time. Though people don't see too much of me, I'm not complaining. I'm happy with this pace of life. Har actor ka time aata hai, mera bhi aayega.

Several actors have played Dawood before this. How much of the don will we get to see in a film that centres around his sister? Also, are you apprehensive about comparisons with other reel Dawoods?
I have a lot of screen time in the film, because the character ages from 18 to 45. I read up about him, his growing-up years and his equation with his family. Hussain Zaidi also helped me because he has written books about him. Talking about comparisons, I am happy with what I have done. For one, we haven't tried to glorify anyone; we have tried to be as factual as possible.

Do gangster films interest you?
Yes, I am a fan of films like Goodfellas, Casino, Godfather and Snatch. In Bollywood, I like Satya, Aatish, Mahasangram, Vaastav, the Shootout series and Company. While the West does it well, we do a lot of justice to the genre, too. Apoorva Lakhia, Mukul Anand, Sanjay Gupta and Anurag Kashyap are phenomenal in this space. Gangster films work only when they are narrated in a raw and realistic manner.

As an artiste, how much do you think Shraddha has changed from Teen Patti to Haseena Parkar?
She blew my socks off with her subtlety in Haider. She's the only one who didn't want to be an actor, and never trained to get into films. Dad is a trained actor and so am I. She has come so far only with her talent and strong-mindedness. She can do anything under the sky to make her character work.

There's a lot of talk about her personal life and her link-up with a leading star...
We don't really care. I don't even read papers much. In our family, we give space to each other, we live and let live. If something needs to be spoken about, we do that.

There was some talk about you getting married to a foreigner as well...
I am only married to my work. Erika Packard is my ex-girlfriend and we were engaged. Our breakup didn't hurt me much. Love happens on its own and right now, I don't see it coming.