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Shahid Kapoor on


                                                                            arjun reddy remaKe:


                                                         The characTer iS very faScinaTing



                                                                                                for me aS an acTor



                                                                          ollywood star Shahid Kapoor, who will play the title role in the Hindi
                                                                          remake of Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, says he was both curious
                                                                   Band excited about the movie.
                                                                    “I wanted to try this part and see what I can do with this. I was curious enough
                                                                    to take it on and excited enough to not let it go.”
                                                                    The Batti Gul Meter Chalu actor said he thoroughly enjoyed Arjun Reddy as
                                                                    a viewer.
                                                                    “I usually don’t watch too many films in Telugu and it surprised me with its
                                                                    tonality, rawness, simplicity and the fact that it was so real and believable.
                                                                    The character is very fascinating for me as an actor because the emotional
                                                                    arc… is very original. I loved it and Vijay Deverakonda, who played Arjun, did
                                                                    it so well,” Shahid said.
                                                                    Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the remake will go on floors next month.
                                                                    The  original  film,  starring  Vijay  and  Shalini  Pandey  in  the  lead,  revolves
                                                                    around a medical student who falls in love with his junior and how their
                                                                    relationship evolves.
                                                                    Shahid, who is the son of veteran actors Pankaj Kapoor and Neelima Azeem,
                                                                    has done many romantic films in his career. He made his acting debut in 2003
                                                                    with Ishq Vishk, after which he featured in movies like Vivah, Jab We Met,
                                                                    Kaminey, Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, R… Rajkumar”, Haider, Udta Punjab
                                                                    and Padmaavat.

                                                                    There are always a lot of hopes riding on actors today.
                                                                    Asked if this adds to the pressure, Shahid said: “My own hopes are riding on me. I have
                                                                    been doing this for 15 years. Now I am a professional at it and understand what comes
                                                                    with it. There is a drive from within to always do your best.
                                                                    “Once you really give a lot of time to what you do, and if you are passionate about it and
                                                                    have that need to improve upon yourself all the time — which is very intrinsic to anybody
                                                                    who is successful… That need and desire must be there to improve, rediscover and keep
                                                                    doing new stuff… Then it comes naturally.”
                                                                    Ultimately, to him, it does not feel like pressure.
                                                                    “You want to do your best, and I always feel like that,” said Shahid, who agrees that
                                                                    attaining stardom comes with a price tag attached to it.
                                                                    “I live by the beach and I can’t really go there as often as I would want to… My family and

              Shahid Kapoor, who at present is                      friends have to deal with a certain amount of attention which they might not necessarily
              enjoying the success of Batti Gul                     be comfortable with. So, of course, there are things that come with the job. I love this job.
            Meter Chalu, will next be seen in the                   So, it’s okay.”
             Hindi remake of Telugu blockbuster                     The 37-year-old actor has just welcomed his second child Zain, a son, with wife Mira
                           Arjun Reddy.                             Rajput, whom he married in 2015. The two also have a daughter named Misha.

                                                                    How does he balance his busy work and home life?
                                                                    “It does require a lot of effort. Sometimes, you don’t have time for yourself… but here
                                                                    you have to choose the time between your work and family. That is something I do it very
                                                                    consciously,” Shahid said during a chat on the sidelines of a fashion event here.



        www.thebmagazine.com                                                                                     DALLAS | OCTOBER 2018 | VOL 157    11
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