Meena Iyer (DNA; February 25, 2018)

Today is Shahid Kapoor’s birthday. The Bollywood star, who turns 37, is attending a satsang in Beas, Punjab, along with his family. When he flies back to Mumbai tomorrow, he has other celebrations planned. With his latest release, Padmaavat, crossing the Rs 285 crore mark in the domestic market, Sasha (as he’s popularly known) has a lot to smile about. At this joyous juncture, the people who matter the most to him — his wife Mira and daughter Misha — are on the top of his mind. Excerpts from a chat...

You are looking really young for a 37-year-old. Your looks belie your age...
(Smiles) I have a young wife, so I must keep fit. I have to keep up with Mira.

Do you feel you played a married man better in Padmaavat because you are settled in real life, too?
It’s strange, but true. Padmaavat is the first time where I played a married man who is in a complex relationship. I don’t think I would have been able to play the character of Rawal Ratan Singh if I didn’t enjoy marital bliss. Our marriage has been a huge journey for Mira and me. The two of us come from very different backgrounds. And we went through our own struggle because she had a complicated pregnancy. It was then that we formed a bond and fell completely in love because we only had each other. Misha was our first big project together. Somewhere, subliminally all that I was facing in real life has played its part in Padmaavat.

I do not think I would have been able to understand my on screen relationship with my queen and the dynamic of that equation if I hadn’t been married for those one-and-a-half years. For me, Mira will always be my Padmavati.

Is it true that filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali showed Mira the rushes of Padmaavat long before he shared them with others?
I don’t know who else Sanjay sir showed the rushes to. However, it was really sweet of him to show Mira the rushes. He called her and said, ‘Mira, come and see why I have kept your husband away from you for so many days.’

Tell us about Misha. Isn’t she your most-favourite person?
Please don’t make me choose between Misha and Mira, I have to go back home (laughs uncontrollably). I can’t see beyond my daughter and I think my wife is slightly jealous. I keep teasing her that it’s karma, everything is coming full circle because that’s exactly how it is in her house. My mother-in-law keeps telling me how Mira is her daddy’s girl and she is the third spoke in the wheel. She is the apple of her dad’s eye; just the way Misha is mine. So, my wife has to live with it.

Mira seems to have come into her own after becoming Mrs Shahid Kapoor. Your young bride has become quite a woman. What are your thoughts on this?
Taking charge without being in your face is Mira’s natural personality. When I met Mira for the first time, one of the things that struck me about her is that she has a certain aura. She is individualistic and holds her own. When we had get-togethers and met huge stars from the fraternity, neither did she get intimidated nor was she awkward. Even at our wedding reception, there were so many big people. Just the way she conducted herself made me proud. She is so self-assured and graceful. She is humble yet confident. When I entered the industry, it took me years to get used to the ‘larger-than-lifeness’ of my surroundings. But Mira was different from the start.

You know, I also think it was tough for her. She had barely finished college in Delhi when we tied the knot. She came to Mumbai by virtue of our marriage. It was a whole new world for her and she didn’t have her parents or two older sisters with her. She did everything on her own. I give her full credit for the way she has conducted herself.

She seems to be more outgoing than you?
The popular verdict on Mira is that she is confident and has her own personality. She is honest and straight-forward. I’m not so socially-inclined. Or let’s put it this way — I’m shy. But she is outgoing. She loves meeting people and talking to them regardless of who they are. She is so unassuming.

Now, you are depending on her to read your scripts…
Why not? Mira is a Literature student who scored 95 per cent. She knows things that I don’t. Also, she represents the aam junta with evolved sensibilities. She always has something different and new to say. In fact, she was the one who convinced me to do Batti Gul Meter Chalu. I was shooting for Padmaavat, so Mira read the script before I did. She has strong opinions, which is good because sometimes an actor can just miss a great story. But if a person around him/her is involved, it helps. Actually, when the script first came, it didn’t even have a director. No one knew that Shree Narayan Singh (of Toilet - Ek Prem Katha) was going to helm it. However, when Mira read it, she told me that it dealt with electricity theft. She was the one who explained to me, ‘You guys living in Mumbai may not understand it, but it’s a huge problem all over the country.’ She insisted that I must do the film. So, I respect her opinion.

But you delayed Batti Gul by almost a month…
Yes, I did. I was supposed to start shooting for it before Padmaavat’s release but I was so invested and passionate about the period drama that I requested my team to give me some time to ‘recover’ before moving on to my next. After Batti Gul..., I will start work on Imtiaz Ali’s film, so it’s going to be a busy time.

What is your takeaway from Padmaavat?
For me, the character of Rawal Ratan Singh is a tribute to the honour and valour of Rajput community and dynasty. You know there are characters like Tommy Singh (Udta Punjab) that you play and want them to get out of your system. However, when it comes to Rawal Ratan Singh I want to hold on to everything that he stood for. He was spectacular. When I did this film, I realised the kind of respect that he had for his wife, queen Padmavati. The best part about playing this character was that he was a king, who was sensitive towards the feelings of his wife and was noble enough to allow her to take decisions. We are living in such times today when women have come into their own but here was a man in the 13th century who encouraged his wife to do so. That was something special.

Coming back to Mira, would you call her your best friend?
I have other friends. But you can call her my best friend. Actually, we end up spending so much time together that every decision — whether it is which school or which play gym should we send Misha to, is discussed. How many layers of woollens should Misha wear, if she has a cold, how often should one medicate her — we end up making joint-decisions on everything. She is our first born, so everything is new to us. Also, I’m a bit of a homebody. I’m either working or at home. And, Mira is my favourite companion. I’ve other friends who I also enjoy spending time with and discuss about life in general. Mira is the not the only one I listen to because that would be stupid. However, I admit, she is my spine and my rock. I depend on her largely.