Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; September 19, 2018)

The sun is shining on Shahid Kapoor, powered by the brilliance of over a thousand flashbulbs. Earlier this year, with the epic saga Padmaavat, he proved that he can pull off playing a royal Rajput with as much panache as his lovable, riotous Romeo roles. While he likes all that’s shiny, bright and beautiful in our cinema, he also believes that we need to show our real stories, however ugly and heartbreaking they might be. The actor, who is all set for the release of Batti Gul Meter Chalu, directed by Shree Narayan Singh, talks to BT about being rooted to reality through cinema, how the razzle- dazzle of the job can be distracting and what truly lights up his life is his wonderful, rock-solid family. Read on…

Recently, we’ve seen a spurt of films based on socially relevant issues being backed by filmmakers. More often than not, we see celebrities fear speaking out aloud, because there are thousands of detractors waiting to shun them. As an actor, do you think that such films give you a chance to express and vocalise your views on subjects that need to be addressed?
I am extremely happy that the audience is appreciating and backing films which talk about real issues. There was a time, about ten years back, when I felt lost. I would wonder what is going on with the audience. I couldn’t relate to them because they wanted to watch films where I would be dancing on mountain tops, and films that have nothing to do with reality. About 90% of the stories that came to me were about make-believe worlds. I was like…great, I can do this, but we’re talking about cinema here, which is a medium that can represent life and tell stories that are inspiring and eye-opening. I am thrilled that in the last five or six years, our audience has become keen to see stories about us.

I think we are getting closer and finally opening up to talking about ourselves instead of living in denial and saying, ‘Everything is okay!’ No, everything is not okay and sometimes, we need to talk about that, too. I have done two films in the past, Haider (2014) and Udta Punjab (2016), both were dark subjects, but stories that needed to be told. One threw light upon human rights issues in a state like Jammu & Kashmir; the other was about the drug-problem in Punjab. I believe that we can make the best films and deliver the finest performances when we represent our own culture. Hollywood tells stories about other countries, because their cultural heritage is not as vast as ours. We have history to talk about. We have a lot to say which lies within our culture, our people and our language. This is who we are and today, our cinema is beautifully portraying that.

You’ve done Udta Punjab, which dealt with the drug menace prevalent in the state of Punjab, but that’s a topic that is easily relatable for urban audiences and youngsters alike. But, a subject based on faulty electricity bills, power shortage and administrative corruption could be something that urbanites can’t quite comprehend. Did the process of making this film make you more socially aware and responsible?
This film was initially titled Roshan and it was based in Mumbai. The script was with me while I was shooting for Padmaavat. I didn’t read it then, because the moment I get into one character, I can’t focus on anything else. I know it’s a terrible thing and it’s not very practical, but that’s how I am. Mira (my wife) chanced upon it and she told me, ‘This is an idea that you won’t understand because you are a star who lives in Mumbai, and you haven’t faced power-cut issues, but it is a massive problem for the common man in various parts of our country.’ After getting that brief lecture from my wife, I was compelled to read the script. Then, I met Shree Narayan Singh (who directed Toilet - Ek Prem Katha), and writers Siddharth Singh and Garima Wahal, who turned it around completely. The interesting thing that happened with the film is that we took the story into the heartland of the country. Here, we are dealing with the issue of electricity being a fundamental human right. There is a huge problem with the division of electricity. Those who have it, get it at their disposal while the rest don’t even have the basic amenities. I think people in bigger cities need to be mindful about how they use electricity. There is a line in the film which says that if all the malls and showrooms in Delhi switched off their electricity during the night, at least 30 to 40 villages in a state like Uttarakhand can get electricity for a week. There are more than 32 million villages in India that don’t even have a single bulb. And that is their fundamental right, which they are denied. Another issue that we are dealing with in the film is the fact that, ever since the privatisation of electricity happened, people are dealing with problems of faulty bills. This is one issue that everybody in the country can relate to. The voices of so many people are not being heard. Who will these people go to? I think that thought woke me up and I said, ‘Yeh issue pe film banni hi chahiye.’ Shree makes films that are warm, personal, entertaining and they make you laugh. At the same time, it talks about issues that are relevant, so this my favourite kind of cinema. Also, I was dying for a release after Padmaavat. I felt so claustrophobic with that character, because there was so little that was actually said and so much that had to be felt. So, when I heard about this character named Sushil Kumar Panth, I was like, ‘Give this to me!’ I was waiting for a character that allowed me to go out there and explode with verbosity and all the normal complexities that a mind goes through.

You mentioned how Mira was instrumental in you reading the script of Batti Gul…. Is she very involved in your choice of films?
Our relationship is like how two friends or two roomies are. We share our lives. There is no structured plan, that if I am hearing a narration, she has to be involved. We eventually share our thoughts on everything. I can depend on her. She comes from such a different place, so often when she tells me something I don’t get it at all, or I’ll be like… ‘Whoa, I never saw that coming’. Most of the time, we have a different take on the same thing. I believe that’s the best part, and that keeps our relationship interesting.

Your brother, Ishaan, made an impressive debut with Beyond The Clouds and followed that up with a big banner film, Dhadak. Both the choices were unconventional for a newcomer. What is your take on the kind of work he is doing?
I thought Ishaan was exceptional in Beyond The Clouds. He made a great choice in working with Majid Majidi (Iranian filmmaker) and he is fortunate that he got that opportunity. I am very happy with the kind of work that he is doing and I believe he is very good at what he does.

In an interview with BT, talking to us about you, Ishaan said, “He is like a sage sometimes. He has a philosophical side to him that a lot of people are not exposed to, where he says things like, ‘ Beta, come let me tell you about life’. So, he imparts a lot of wisdom and shares his experience.” He also added that when the two of you argue, you end it with ‘Vadda Kaun?’ Tell us about your relationship with him. Are you constantly playing the role of a big bro in his life?
Well, that vadda kaun? (Who’s the elder one?)’ bit stopped happening some years ago. Honestly, there is a 14-year age difference between us. So, for the first 10 to 15 years of my life, Ishaan was like my kid. I had more fraternal feelings towards him than sibling like feelings. But I think that in the last three or four years, he has become independent and he’s been taking his own decisions. He has a mind of his own and I think that’s great. I only try to remind him about things he hasn’t experienced. Starting out as an actor with a big production house, and being a part of two prominent films, I think there is a lot of life that he hasn’t seen yet. I keep reminding him about that, because he got here this way and I got here another way. My path was longer and I had no idea about which way it would turn. To get to my first film was a totally different journey. He’s got really nice people around him and he’s got opportunities early in his life. The part that I am happy about is that he is really good at what he does. At times, you get work as an actor, but you are unprepared. There are some lovely, wonderful people who shouldn’t have been actors. The chance was available and they tried it, but it didn’t happen for them. But Ishaan was ready and I am very proud of him. Also, mom (Neelima Azim) and I are very relieved. We’re like, phew, it’s done! Generally, there is a difference of two or three years between siblings, so parents wait for five or seven years before they see their children settled. In this case, it is a 15-year-gap. My mom says, ‘Ishaan is just starting now and it will take more or less 15 years to see him settled’. But she is extremely happy that I am settled and Ishaan is also on his way now.

With two people so passionate about cinema, what are conversations at home like? Are there arguments about choice of movies, roles, actors’ et al?
Ishaan is more of a talker than I am and he has a strong point of view on everything. My thoughts are generally floating in my head. We love talking about films, but lately, given both our work schedules, we don’t meet as often, and when we do, we talk mostly about the kids, mom and home stuff. Nowadays, conversations amongst all of us are mostly about family, which I think is priority. I have been in the industry for 15 years and I’ve come to learn that everything is temporary, it comes and goes. But family, friends and love is what is most important. This job distracts you from the things that matter the most to you, as it’s a very noisy profession. Everything is so sparkly and bright that you tend to forget about the simple things that won’t jump for your attention. But those are the ones that matter the most. So, I feel that ghar pe hain toh ghar ki baat karenge. Also, I am quite a homebody. Thanks to my wife, I step out of the house. Otherwise, I would be sitting at home and fading in and out of my dream world.

Right after the release of Batti Gul..., you move on to Arjun Reddy (remake of a Telugu hit) which is an intense story about a man who is madly in love with a woman, and how it drives him towards self-destruction and his journey thereon? You have never played such an obsessive lover before, what drew you to this one?
The original film was unlike any love story I have seen before. I think the tonality and the sensibility of the film is very different from most mainstream films that we have seen. Arjun Reddy is a real and raw love story and I was very surprised by the director’s (Sandeep Vanga) take on it. It’s an edgy film which makes you go through a gamut of emotions, which you may have never felt. I will start shooting for it a week after Batti Gul… and it is going to be tough, because we just had a baby boy (Zain). So, I will be in papa-mode and shooting a film where I am in a messed-up, dark, psychotic lover mode. So, I have to be a sweet dad, and then quickly go back to shooting this intense character. I will have to keep shifting between these two parallel worlds and find a time machine to travel between the unrelated universes (laughs!).