In his recent stint in Jersey, Shahid Kapoor played the father of a school-going child, who sacrifices his life to keep the promise he made to his kid. As a father in real life, Shahid, who is a hands-on dad to Misha and Zain, believes that children follow what they see their parents doing. He also believes that it’s up to a parent to find a way for their kids to be happy and proud of their professional achievements.

Talking about how he keeps his kids in mind while making professional decisions, he says, “You want to do the right things and put the right message out for your children. When you give your time to something outside of your home, the first thought is, ‘Will my family be happy and proud of what I have done, sacrificing the time I could have spent with them? Will they stand up and say that dad we love what you do and we are proud and happy that you went and did it?’”

Shahid says, “I can do 10 films today that will do great numbers, but what if five years down the line, my kids ask me what I was thinking when I did those films. At that time, I can’t sit them down and tell them, ‘Beta tab yeh chalta tha’. More than me showing my children what I have done, I would be happy if they saw it themselves. I’d love it if my kids are able to connect with the characters I play.”

Shahid, who is expected to play a father yet again in the Hindi remake of the French film Nuit Blanche, being helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar, adds, “Beyond everything else, I want to be a dad to my kids. I really don’t care if they eventually don’t know what I do. That is not fundamental to me. When they are 20 or 25, if they want to come back home and spend time with me because they feel a void, it would partly be because I’m working on that today. That is important. So, at times, when I sacrifice my personal interests and give that time to my kids, I also do it from a selfish space, so that tomorrow they, too, make that choice. You can expect to get their attention and love when you have also worked towards it.”