As someone who has spent almost five decades in Bollywood, actor Shakti Kapoor admits the negative narrative about the Hindi film industry hurts him. He, in fact, states that he has only seen people here stand by and help one another.

“I have seen this industry for many years and I can say this is the finest film industry. There are people always standing up for you. Yeh cheez bahar nahin aati, bas negative cheezein bahar aati hain. It is sad that only negative aspects of the film industry get highlighted,” he laments.

Citing the example of his own journey, the 70-year-old adds that despite being a nobody from Delhi, he could make a mark only because people were open to new actors. “I didn’t have any dada, chacha, mama in Bollywood to help me. Early in my career, I found Feroz Khan (actor) and became his favourite. Then, Sunil Dutt (actor) gave me work, trusting my capabilities. He also gave me the name Shakti; my birth name is Sunil,” Kapoor reveals.

Now, he is happy to see his children — actors Shraddha Kapoor and Siddhanth Kapoor — earning accolades on their own merit. “Shraddha is a big star, Siddhanth is on his way to making it big. I’m proud of my children. People praise my daughter and I feel so happy. She has been working in these Covid-19 times. Even Siddhanth is so busy. I feel blessed,” he concludes.