‘Working as co-actors gives my father and me more time to be together’, says Shahid Kapoor

For the world, he’s a stellar actor. For Shahid Kapoor, he’s the father. Pankaj Kapur has worked with his first-born in different capacities over the last several years. Prior to turning into an acyor, Shahid, after moving base to Mumbai, had helped his dad on TV shows, Drishtaant and Mohandas B.A.L.L.B. Shahid played the male protagonist in Mausam, Pankaj’s debut as a film director. The father-son team has likewise acted together in Shaandaar, and the yet-to- release, Jersey, which additionally features Mrunal Thakur.

In a recent interview with Bombay Times, Shahid talked about the equation he shares with his dad on and off-screen. “I have not assisted my father for too long but it was an experience which I cherish. Today, he’s in his 60s and I’m in my 40s. We’re both grown-ups. We understand each other. We have a chill vibe and we do our own things. Working as co-actors in films gives my father and me more time to be together. Shooting schedules are times when we can sit together after pack-up, see each other every day and be together. We’re both in a profession where we’re often away from home for work for long periods. You don’t get to see your family so often. I always look at him as a student subconsciously, even when we are in a shot together,” Shahid said, adding, “When we are working together, I have to focus on my work more than anything else. I have to zone into it completely. The only way to express your respect for an actor like Pankaj Kapur is focussing on your own work and not being distracted, even by him, in the said shot. If you start looking at what others are doing, you don’t focus on your work and in turn, you might also end up spoiling someone else’s portions in the scene. So, I pay that respect to an actor like my father by completely being in sync with my character and by being thoroughly prepared for my scene.”