A young boy Shahid Kapoor entered the Hindi film industry about 21 years ago and won everyone’s hearts with his extremely cute looks. His mere presence on the silver screen was enough to enthrall the audience, but that was not his long-term goal. Starting from Ishq Vishk to Deva and onwards to Arjun Ustara, there is no question on Kapoor’s versatility.
Being a fan of Shahid Kapoor, I have seen his growth as an actor from strength to strength. No wonder he has been extremely selective in his choices and rightly so. While we are eager to see what new he brings to our audiences, we are also looking forward to what we can expect from the star going forward.
Shahid started his acting career in 2003 with Ishq Vishk, which created a chocolate boy image for him, making him a heartthrob overnight. This continued with her roles in films such as Vivah, Dil Maange More and 36 China Town.
While these films cemented his image as a quintessential Bollywood hero, he broke this tradition by choosing stronger choices – Tommy Singh in Udta Punjab, Guddu in Kabir Singh and Kaminey. While these films have contributed to a great extent in proving his potential as an actor, somewhere a section of fans have also found it difficult to connect with these performances.
Opinions have been polarized over controversies, especially Udta Punjab and Kabir Singh. When it comes to the Arjun Ustara actor, it cannot be denied that he has garnered a huge fan base with family entertainers like Vivaah and romantic comedies like Jab We Met and Ishq Vishk – a boy’s green flag. Presents the image.
Seeing such a beloved character experiment with his image by taking on flamboyant and grey-shaded roles comes with its price. I mean, it is clearly visible how Tommy Singh of Udta Punjab and Kabir Singh have polarized opinions which has divided the internet into two groups, each with their own reasons to like or dislike him. Have your reasons.
But a fan like me would like Shahid to maintain a balance between his choice of roles to keep his fans in sync with their preferences. And he’s doing it very well, isn’t he? Kabir Singh has been compensated with the emotional sports drama Jersey and then the light-hearted Teri Baat Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya.
The dilemma of striking a balance between an actor’s own creative satisfaction and delighting the audience with mass entertainment can be difficult to understand. Not that we expect him to continue doing romantic-comedy films, but a smart choice by choosing age-appropriate roles can make a huge difference.
It is worth appreciating how, even at 40, Shahid looks extremely handsome but remains conscious of his character. For example, at TBMAUJ, we saw him not as a young boy but as an established and mature robotics engineer.
While we look forward to seeing him play a mad police officer in Deeva and a dangerous gangster in Arjun Ustara, let’s hope to see a sensible character that will strike a chord with every age group.
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