NEW YORK: Shahid Kapoor was compared with Shah Rukh Khan in the beginning of his career and the actor said while it bothered him for some time, he has now grown comfortable in his own skin as a performer.
Shahid, son of veteran actors Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azim, started his Bollywood journey with college romance-drama “Ishq Vishk”.
He followed his successful debut with back-to-back romantic movies that led to him being labelled as the next SRK, who is considered the ‘king of romance’ in Bollywood.
The actor finally revamped his image with Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Kaminey”, where he appeared in a dual role.
“The worst thing that can happen to a newcomer is being compared to a big star or an established actor because it confuses him. It (comparison with SRK) did trouble me initially as I did not know what to do,” Shahid told PTI on the sidelines of IIFA 2017.
Films such as “Jab We Met”, “Kaminey” and “Haider” have established Shahid as one of the reliable performers in the industry and the actor says he prefers to take more risks with his choices rather than trying to meet the expectations of others.
“Every actor needs to find himself… It was not fair to compare Shah Rukh Khan with a newcomer. Having said that, I feel comfortable with who I am today. I am discovering myself as an actor.
“I think today being a good actor is what makes you a star. People now want to see good content and performance. You also need to have the X-factor,” he said.
According to Shahid, his biggest USP is that he is willing to experiment without any fear of failure.
“I try different things and people sometimes like it or don’t. Sometimes you do a good jo, but the film is not liked by people. I don’t think too much about it.
“The biggest trap for an actor is when he starts doing things from the past. So, instead of moving forward, you move backwards.”
The actor, who is all set to perform at the 18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, recalled his first award function.
“I won an award for ‘Ishq Vishk’ and I had never been to a big award function before. I did not know what to wear. I thought I would get it wrong and I did get it wrong. I felt out of place and nervous.” (AGENCIES)
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