`Kaminey` was my litmus test: Shahid Kapur

Audiences and critics can`t stop raving about Shahid Kapoor`s performance in the hit film "Kaminey", but the 28-year-old actor says doing the dark thriller was a "litmus test" as his well-wishers felt breaking away from his lover boy image may ruin his career.

"The fact is that mass as well as niche audiences have given a thumbs up to a subject and a genre that were never explored before. This was a very huge film for me and hence a big litmus test as well. It was such a huge risk and my fortune could have swung either way. I`m so happy that it paid off eventually," Shahid told reporters.

Even though he has worked in films across varied genres, the lover boy image seems to have latched on to him, courtesy his recent successes like "Jab We Met" and "Vivah".

"Even when I was on the verge of signing `Kaminey`, people discouraged me. Since on paper itself it sounded such a different film, I was advised that I should follow a conventional route and do more love stories.

"People felt that I was on a wrong path by signing on something experimental when I should have rather consolidated my image as a lover boy. I am glad I took a firm stand though because I sincerely believe that audiences today want a change," he said.

But Shahid isn`t turning his back to romantic films and his next will be "Dil Bole Hadippa", in which he has teamed up with Rani Mukerji.

"Now `Dil Bole Hadippa` is a complete contrast to `Kaminey` with a lot of `bhangra-shangra`...See, at the end of the day, I do want to do different kinds of work and find acceptance in all spaces.

"It`s just that I`m not willing to restrict myself to a particular genre, especially in times when change is the order of the day. Thankfully, audiences have become much more receptive to you being seen in a different avatar," the actor said.

After the success of Vishal Bharadwaj`s "Kaminey", Shahid finds himself in the big league of actors, but he has his head firmly on his shoulders.

"I am happy that `Kaminey` worked for me and I am also aware about the fact that post the success of the film, there are also lot of expectations from me. Still, it`s early days for me to begin celebrations.

"There are many more movies that I have to do over a period of time. I have to continuously prove myself. In a couple of weeks from now, I have `Dil Bole Hadippa` coming out; so I`m keeping my fingers crossed," he said.

While the Khans - Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman - have been dominating from the top along with Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan, the success of "Kaminey" means that both Shahid and Saif Ali Khan, who delivered a money spinner in "Love Aaj Kal", have also made their mark.

Shahid may not be inside the ring yet but he is knocking the doors at the least.

"Everyone seems to be saying that, but I keep reminding myself that it has only been six years for me in the industry. Of course, I`m extremely happy to be even considered a good enough candidate. For someone who is just 28 years old, I feel very privileged and fortunate to see such confidence from my audiences as well as the industry," he said.

Kareena had become a support system, admits Shahid

Not very often can you have Shahid Kapur discussing his much-talked about relationship with Kareena Kapoor. But this time, quite unexpectedly, Shahid has revealed all about the kind of pressure he felt while he was dating Bebo!

Shahid Kapur says that as he started seeing Kareena, who was much more established than him at that time, he knew that his stature would become an issue with the couple.

Talking about his love relationship with Kareena, on TV chat show ‘Tere Mere Beach Mein’, Shahid said, “Itna reality check tha mujhe ki she was Raj Kapoor’s grand-daughter, her sister was Karisma Kapoor. I had danced behind Karisma in ‘Dil to Pagal Hai’. I knew ki yeh tho issue hone wala hai ... mujhe itni akal thi.”

When host of the show, Farah Khan, asked if there were pressures on the relationship after his films flopped, the actor didn’t shy away from saying, “She had become my support system, yaar. I think emotionally she had become my support system to aisa koi chance nahin tha ... yeh life mein real cheezein toh relationships hi hoti hain, success failure sab kab aata hai, kab jaata hai pata bhi nahin chalta hai. Relationships aisi cheez hai, they stand by you with time so you have to give priority to your relationship.”

Well, for poor Shahid, his alleged love relationships do not seem to be standing by him at all!

Shahid to write a book on his love relationships?

Bollywood heartthrob Shahid Kapur is perhaps the only actor in recent times who has been linked with every female actress he has worked with. And now, the latest buzz reveals that the actor is all set to pen down a book on his much-talked about relationships.

From Amrita Rao to Vidya Balan to Priyanka Chopra and most recently Anushka Sharma (who will be seen opposite the star in YRF`s forthcoming venture), Shahid’s reportedly dated all of them!

And recently, at an event when Shahid was asked about one such relationship, he said that now that he has mastered the art of romancing, he is going to write a book on relationships and reveal all.

Well, the book is surely going to top the bestseller list, if at all it comes out…after all Kareena-Shahid break-up is apparently Bollywood’s most sought after secret in recent times!

When Shahid sat jobless at home for six months

The success of ‘Kaminey’ has catapulted him into the big league, but actor Shahid Kapur says he sat at home for six months without any work after his box office hit ‘Vivaah’ in 2006."The most difficult phase was after `Vivaah` was a super hit. I was at home for six months without work. I got some 60 film offers but none inspired me," Shahid told choreographer-director Farah Khan on STAR Plus` chat show "Tere Mere Beach Mein".

On the show, the actor spoke of losing his confidence after a spate of failures following his debut "Ishq Vishk".

He even shared how apprehensive and nervous he was when he had begun shooting for "Vivaah", but gained a little confidence after director Sooraj Barjatya gave him a pep talk saying: "There`s only one thing that can take you ahead and that`s talent and you have that in you!"

"I was unconvinced and gave one shot, then I saw it on the monitor and I said, `I`ve given a perfect shot...I know my work.` After that I used to just focus on my work."

The episode featuring Shahid will be aired Saturday at 9 p.m.

Pricey Shahid Kapur charges a whopping 15 crore per flick!

Post the thumping Box Office success of Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Kaminey’, Shahid Kapur is on a high! With ‘Kaminey’ proving a major money spinner, the chocolate boy actor has finally come of age as Shahid has entered into the big league of A-list actors and has become one of the most bankable B-town stars.

According to latest Bollywood news, with a huge hit under his belt, Shahid has gone pricey and is charging a humongous price of Rs 15 crore per flick. Buzz has it that the actor has demanded fifteen crore from none other the showman of Bollywood – Subhash Ghai in his upcoming movie.

It is believed that Subhash Ghai who was looking for a fresh face for his new movie approached Shahid Kapur. Yet, with Shahid acting overpriced, a miffed Ghai was left with no option but to scout for a new face.

Incidentally, a decade ago Shahid was nobody - just a dance extra in Ghai’s mega opus ‘Taal’ and now the actor has become a huge star with hits like ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Kaminey’ and is quoting big figures, something that even Khans have not done so far.

Well, it seems Shahid is going the Akshay Kumar way!

SRK gets Shahid, Priyanka together for MJ tribute

From Shahid Kapoor to Vishal-Shekhar, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has roped in the biggest names in the business for a music video to pay tribute to the late pop legend Michael Jackson.

Vishal Dadlani of Vishal-Shekhar duo told repoters that it was Shah Rukh`s idea to get a tribute rolling for the music legend who passed away on June 25 this year.

"The entire world was upset about his demise and so were Shekhar (Ravjiani) and I. We happened to meet Shah Rukh and he also expressed his thought about doing something that would be befitting the stature of the man who entertained us for decades. This is how the idea around the music video was born," said Vishal.

It was decided that the music video titled "Make it Large - A tribute to Michael Jackson" would be launched Aug 29 to coincide with Jackson`s 51st birthday. While Vishal also wrote the lyrics for the song, some of the best singers in the industry - Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, KK and Shreya Ghoshal - were roped in to sing.

"For the moment, the idea is to launch the music video across all music channels just for one day. It is available on Red Chillies Entertainment website though," said Vishal who is currently holidaying in London.

Directed by Samar Khan, "Make it Large - A tribute to Michael Jackson" is also special since it features Prabhu Deva who is yet again seen at his dancing best.

Also, the video features testimonials on Michael Jackson from Shah Rukh Khan himself along with Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Anoushka Sharma and Yuvraj Singh.

Vishal and Shekhar would also be allowing free download of the song at their website beginning August 29.

"The video wasn`t created for making money. It`s a tribute and I am sure there are millions out there who would want to grab a copy of the song for themselves. We are more than glad to share our sentiments with the rest of the world," said Vishal.

Salman Khan and Shahid Kapur kiss and make up!

Celebrated for his quirky ways, volatile temper and incessant ‘Khan’ wars with arch-nemesis Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s brat Salman seems to have made peace with a much younger rival Shahid Kapur!

It is believed that the two actors have finally resolved their differences after three years of cold war. Well, overshadowed by the massive SRK-Salman row, the lesser known Salman-Shahid spat took place way back in the year 2006 when both the actors were part of Rockstar concert. It so happened that Bollywood brat Salman was unable to get his dance steps right and Shahid came forward to his help. Nevertheless, Salman was literally miffed by the audacity of a young actor and simply asked Shahid not to interfere.

Till recently, Salman was in no mood to forgive and forget and as a result, the hunk of an actor opted out of a cameo in ‘Milenge Milenge’- a Satish Kaushik directed flick starring Shahid Kapur.

Finally, with both the stars patching up, Shahid has readily agreed to be a part of ‘10 Ka Dum’ where the actor will be seen alongside his ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’ co-actor Rani Mukerji.

Well, it seems it was Rani Mukerji who played the perfect pacifist between Salman and Shahid!

Shahid, Katrina honoured with Rajiv Gandhi National Award

As both Shahid Kapur and Katrina Kaif are continuing to win critical acclaim for their newly discovered acting talent, they have managed to add another feather in their caps. Shahid and Katrina won the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Award for their acting skills at the National Centre for Performing Arts here on Wednesday.

Many Bollywood bigwigs and other eminent personalities from various walks of life attended the 12th Rajiv Gandhi National Awards ceremony.

During the event, heartthrob Hrithik Roshan and the gorgeous Priyanka Chopra made everyone groove to their tunes as they performed to add glamour to the event. Along with Hrithik and Priyanka, other celebrities who performed at the award eve included Esha Deol, music composers Vishal-Shekhar among others.

Well, for Shahid and Katrina, we would say that it was definitely a well-deserved choice, especially after they proved their talent in ‘Kaminey’ and ‘New York’ respectively. Congratulations to Shahid and Kat!

I can never be like my father: Shahid Kapur

He has bagged kudos for his outstanding performance in the latest hit `Kaminey`, but Shahid Kapur says he can never match his father Pankaj Kapur when it comes to acting."I can never be like my father (in terms of acting)...he is way beyond anyone to be like him. I don`t even have any aspirations to be like him because I know that`s not happening. I just hope whenever my father sees my films, he likes my work," Shahid said.

Apparently the father and son are going to come together in a film for the first time. Yet untitled, the project will go on floors early next year.

Shahid-Priyanka host preview for pals

So what if Mumbaiites couldn’t catch Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey over the long weekend because swine flu played spoilsport? Known for their never-say-die attitude, Mumbaites headed to theatres outside the city to watch the season’s most awaited film. Even industrywallahs couldn’t resist watching the film as soon as possible even if it meant travelling a long distance.

Music composer Pritam and director Anurag Singh (Dil Bole Hadippa!) had a rollicking time in Nasik where they watched Kaminey on Friday. Pritam, who is a huge Vishal Bhardwaj fan, said, “I didn’t want to miss Kaminey for anything in the world.

I think Vishal is a fantastic filmmaker and music composer. I couldn’t wait to see how he has treated the music in Kaminey.” Meanwhile, good friends Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra hosted their own special preview of Kaminey on Sunday evening at Yash Raj Studios where they had personally invited their friends from the industry.

Shahid: Vishal is dangerous

Shahid Kapoor the leading man in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey that hit the theatres yesterday, insists that the director brings out the best performance from his actors.

Shahid says,”Vishal is a very dangerous director. Working with him is no less than undertaking dangerous tasks because he brings you out of your comfort zone and asks you to perform stuff that has never been done by an actor in his life or career.”

“It’s a challenge for an actor to work with him but at the same time it’s very fruitful too… he brings out a new talent in you every time he takes a shot. He is multi-talented and very supportive and I’m very thankful to him.”

So folks have you watched Kaminey?

Kaminey release postponed in Mumbai

With Swine Flu at its peak in Pune and Mumbai, the government had decided to close all the cinemas in the two cities so that the flu cannot spread. This has resulted in the delay in releasing Kaminey.

Shahid Kapoor,lead actor of Kaminey respects the decision of the government and is hoping that by Sunday, “Everything will go back to normal in Mumbai and Pune.”

With the theatres being closed down, Mumbaites need to wait a little longer to see Shahid in action.

Meanwhile we hope Fwine flu(in Charlie’s words) doesn’t harm the flick much.

Shahid Kapoor: I don’t miss Kareena

Shahid Kapoor in a recent tell-all interview revealed that he doesn’t miss Kareena Kapoor at all.

He says, “I have moved on in life. I don’t miss her. It’s been quite long. I am happy to be where I am. I am not in love and if there is someone, people will eventually come to know. Till then, people should keep patience. However, I will not go outside and wave. I feel very loved by the masses; they want me to get settled for good.”

Shahid however talks about his dream woman, “My dream woman is someone who is real. By real, I mean honest and straight-up…someone who tries to understand me as a person and does not care for the persona. Someone, who is very simple. No, I don’t think I have met her. Love cannot be planned and it happens. It can happen now, it may happen five years down the line. My search continues…”

All girls love in love with Shahid, you have a chance now!

Shahid: I am quite surprised

Well the handsome dude is surprised at Censor board’s verdict of giving Kaminey an A certificate.

Shahid says, “I am quite surprised with the decision of censor board to have given an ‘A’ certificate to ‘Kaminey’. One should not go by the title of the movie as there is no other offensive word or abusive language used in the entire film.”

Our aim was to make a U/A certificate movie but when we got an ‘A’ certificate our whole team was unhappy and could not understand the reason behind it.”

The Censor board has asked director Vishal to cut some scenes from the movie to make it a U/A movie.