Kabir Singh actor Shahid Kapoor recalls how he bagged Ken Ghosh’s film Ishq Vishk in 2003.In the series titled First of Many, the who’s who of the industry revisit their first acting project.
When Shahid Kapoor debuted with 2003 film Ishq Vishk, nobody had thought that 25 years down the line, his chocolate boy image will take a U-turn and he will be one of the most bankable actors in Bollywood.
From being a boy-next-door, Shahid has over the years matured into doing performance-driven roles in films like Udta Punjab, Haider, Kaminey and Padmaavat. His recent release Kabir Singh might have courted controversy, but it has also become the highest grosser this year so far.
A background dancer in Shiamak Davar’s troupe for films like Dil To Pagal Hai and Taal, Shahid Kapoor also made appearances in music videos like Aryan’s “Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra”. But his breakthrough came with Ken Ghosh’s Ishq Vishk, which also starred Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasury.
In a conversation with indianexpress.com, Shahid revealed how he got selected for the role of Rajiv Mathur in blockbuster movie Ishq Vishk, which earned him overnight stardom and immense fan following.
1. How did your debut acting project, Ishq Vishk, come to you?
I gave auditions, I was rejected. Then I gave another set of auditions. And again I was rejected. Then I did a third round of auditions. Then I did dancing auditions. And then, I got the film. It was a long process before I got it.
2. What do you remember of your first day on set?
I was shooting this scene where I am supposed to be with this fake Sachin Tendulkar. It was a very funny scene. So I had a lot of fun doing it. We were shooting at this place called Royal Palms in Mumbai.
3. Were you nervous? How many retakes did you take?
Very nervous! I was nervous every day of that film. I think we took about 11-12 retakes in the first shot.
4. How is your rapport with your Ishq Vishk co-stars today?
Everybody is doing such different films today and is in such different stages of their career. So you meet people, you remember times in your life, and it’s always wonderful to remember those moments because you do make films as a team. Everybody is doing their own thing.
5. If given a chance to go back to your debut role, what’s that one thing you’d like to change or do better?
I think I was quite an average actor. And I had some oddities and I think all those things worked for the character. I think it was right for that time.
Also Read | First of Many: Gajraj Rao | Vivek Oberoi | Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub | Rajpal Yadav | Rajeev Khandelwal | Govind Namdev | Neena Gupta | Pankaj Tripathi | Satish Kaushik | Mohit Raina
6. One film or role that inspired you to become an actor?
All my life, I have seen my parents and the kind of work that they have done.
