Shahid Kapoor

Early work and breakthrough (2003–2006)

Having noticed Kapoor in the Aryans' music video "Aankhon Mein", the producer Ramesh Taurani was keen to cast him in a film.^[13] However, upon meeting him, Taurani thought Kapoor, who was 20 years old at the time, to be too young and underweight to become an actor, and encouraged him to wait for a few years.^[4] Kapoor, meanwhile, turned down a lead role in N. Chandra's sex comedy Style in hopes of working with Taurani.^[13] Taurani found a suitable project for Kapoor in the teenage romance Ishq Vishk (2003), which Ken Ghosh was directing for his company. Kapoor, who trained extensively for a bulkier physical build, was eventually hired.^[13] Before beginning work on the film, he attended acting workshops with Naseeruddin Shah and Satyadev Dubey.^[11]

Ishq Vishk tells the story of Rajiv Mathur (Kapoor), a high-school student who engages in a romantic affair with two classmates of contrasting personalities (played by Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala). Kapoor was attracted to the idea of playing an unlikable lead since it was a departure from the traditional portrayal of teenage heroes in Indian films.^[14] Writing for The Hindu, the critic Ziya Us Salam did not find him to be "hero material", adding that "boyhood seems to have overstayed on his face – but he is not necessarily bad in the acting department."^[15] The film, however, proved to be a sleeper hit at the box office and won Kapoor the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.^[16][17]

Following his debut, Kapoor reunited with Ghosh in a film he considered to be drastically different from Ishq Vishk.^[16] The thriller Fida (2004) featured him as a love-struck student who is manipulated by a woman (Kareena Kapoor) and her lover (Fardeen Khan) to rob a bank. Despite criticising the film, Rama Sharma of The Tribune wrote that Kapoor "shines in his role. He looks fresh. As an impulsive emotional and innocent guy, who is sucked into crime because of these very qualities, he manages to evoke your sympathies."^[18] Later that year, Kapoor appeared in the romantic comedy Dil Maange More in which he was paired opposite three women: Soha Ali Khan, Tulip Joshi, and Ayesha Takia. Patcy N of Rediff.com praised his dancing skills but was wary of his imitation of Shah Rukh Khan's acting style.^[19] Both his 2004 releases were commercially unsuccessful.^[20]

The series of poorly received films continued in 2005, when all three of Kapoor's films failed at the box office.^[21] His first two releases that year were the comedies Deewane Huye Paagal and Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!, both of which were largely panned.^[22] The former was plagiarised from the Hollywood film There's Something About Mary in which Kapoor played one of Rimi Sen's love interests; the critic Khalid Mohamed found Kapoor to be "the only likeable element in this travesty" but Namrata Joshi of Outlook labelled him "colourless" and criticised his pairing with Sen.^[23][24] His final role was that of a righteous teenager drawn towards a life of indulgence in John Matthew Matthan's drama Shikhar, co-starring Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu and Amrita Rao. The critic Sukanya Verma found Kapoor to be miscast as a village boy in the film, but noted that he was "never short of spontaneity and youthful exuberance".^[25]

In 2006, Kapoor played opposite Kareena Kapoor in two films—the thriller 36 China Town and the comedy Chup Chup Ke.^[26] In 36 China Town, a murder mystery from the director duo Abbas–Mustan, Kapoor starred as one of the seven suspects in the murder of an heiress, and in the Priyadarshan-directed Chup Chup Ke, he played a depressed man who pretends to be deaf and mute. The former was his first commercial success since Ishq Vishk.^[27] Greater success came to Kapoor later that year when he starred alongside Amrita Rao in Sooraj Barjatya's romantic drama Vivah, a film depicting an arranged marriage. Made on a shoestring budget of ₹100 million (US$1.2 million), the film earned over ₹530 million (US$6.4 million) worldwide, and proved to be Kapoor's highest-grossing film to that point.^[28][29] Reviews of the film, however, were negative; Raja Sen termed the film a "nightmare" and wrote that Kapoor "isn't offensively bad, doesn't ham it up like crazy, or speak in a weird accent. Having said that, he isn't an actor at all, standing around working on his boyish grin, simply chewing up the scenery. No screen presence at all."^[30]

Jab We Met, Kaminey, and commercial fluctuations (2007–2013)

Kapoor found no success in his first release of 2007—the ensemble comedy Fool & Final.^[31] However, his second release that year, the Imtiaz Ali-directed romantic comedy Jab We Met proved to be one of the top-grossing films of the year.^[31] The film tells the story of a troubled businessman (Kapoor) whose life undergoes a series of changes after he encounters a loquacious girl (Kareena Kapoor) on a train ride. Ali thought that Kapoor's previous roles failed to justify his acting potential, and thus approached him to portray a more complex character.^[32] The BBC noted on how "endearing" he was in the film and Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote that he left an "indelible impression with a performance that is understated and mature" in a film he thought primarily belonged to Kareena Kapoor.^[33][34] For his performance, Kapoor received his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.^[17]

After featuring opposite Vidya Balan in the romantic comedy Kismat Konnection (2008), Kapoor played twin brothers, one with a lisp and the other with a stutter, in Vishal Bhardwaj's critically acclaimed action film Kaminey (2009).^[35][36] In preparation, Kapoor met speech specialists and researched on the medical and mental aspects of the two conditions.^[37] To create a lean physique for one of the brothers, a look he considered to be "radically different" from his personal appearance, Kapoor practised functional training and followed a rigorous diet.^[37][38] Writing for Variety, critic Joe Leydon reviewed that Kapoor "impressively displays sufficiently variegated degrees of emotional intensity to sustain the illusion of two distinct characters. Just as important, he provides each sibling an appropriately elevated hunkiness quotient."^[39] Rediff.com listed Kapoor's performance as the best by a Bollywood actor in 2009 and he received a second Best Actor nomination at Filmfare.^[17][40] Kaminey earned over ₹700 million (US$8.4 million) worldwide.^[29] Kapoor's final release of 2009 was as a cricketer in the Yash Raj Films production Dil Bole Hadippa!, a romantic comedy co-starring Rani Mukerji. It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, but was a financial failure.^[41][42]

In 2010, Kapoor reteamed with Ken Ghosh in Chance Pe Dance, a comedy-drama about a struggling actor, in which Kapoor's performance was described as "uneven" by Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis.^[43] He had a supporting role in Paathshaala, a drama about the education system in India, starring Nana Patekar,^[44] following which he reunited with Yash Raj Films on the comedy-drama Badmaash Company, which follows a group of overambitious youngsters who become con men. Rachel Saltz of The New York Times praised Kapoor's look in the film, though Tushar Joshi of Mid-Day thought that he was miscast.^[45][46] Kapoor's fourth and final release that year was Satish Kaushik's romantic comedy Milenge Milenge, which marked his fourth collaboration with Kareena Kapoor.^[47] Plagiarised from the Hollywood film Serendipity, the production was delayed since 2005.^[48] During its production in December 2004 at Phuket, Kapoor requested a delay in filming to attend the premiere of Dil Maange More. The delay may have saved the lives of the crew, since the hotel booked for them was destroyed during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.^[49] With the exception of Badmaash Company, none of these films performed well commercially.^[50]

Kapoor next appeared in his father's directorial Mausam (2011); co-starring Sonam Kapoor, the star-crossed romance set over a decade, took two years to complete.^[51] Considering the film to be his "dream project", Kapoor did not take on additional work while filming for it.^[4] For his role as an unambitious village boy who becomes an air force pilot, Kapoor trained to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon.^[52] Rajeev Masand reviewed that "while he doesn't quite cut it as a convincing IAF pilot, Shahid Kapoor is terrific as the small-town brat".^[53] The film was a box office flop and Kapoor was later regretful for spending so much time on the project.^[54]

The following year, Kapoor took on another romantic role in Kunal Kohli's Teri Meri Kahaani (2012), co-starring Priyanka Chopra. It tells the story of a pair of star-crossed lovers who are reincarnated in three different eras. Filmfare reviewed that "Shahid and Priyanka give it their best shot, but their charm doesn't make up for the absence of a genuine kahani [story]".^[55] The comedy Phata Poster Nikhla Hero from director Rajkumar Santoshi was Kapoor's first release of 2013. His role was that of Vishwas Rao, a struggling actor who masquerades as a policeman. Critical reviews on the film were negative, though Kapoor's performance was praised.^[56] As with his last few releases, the film earned little at the box office leading trade analysts to question his commercial appeal.^[57] This changed later that year, when he starred in Prabhu Deva's action film R... Rajkumar; despite a negative critical reception, the film earned over ₹995 million (US$12 million) worldwide, becoming Kapoor's highest-grossing release to that point.^[58][59] In a scathing review, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV called the film a "massive mess" and wrote that Kapoor "ends up looking more moronic than macho" in it.^[60] Kapoor suffered from burn injuries on his back and hands while filming a stunt sequence in R... Rajkumar.^[61]

Established actor and film controversies (2014–2019)

Kapoor next reunited with director Vishal Bhardwaj to film Haider (2014), an adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet set during the Kashmir conflict of 1995, in which he played the titular role opposite Tabu and Shraddha Kapoor. Kapoor described the film as the "toughest" of his career, and waived his fees to star in it.^[62][63] For the role, he shaved his head and learned to speak in a Kashmiri dialect.^[64][65] Haider garnered critical acclaim, though was controversial among Indian nationalists for its portrayal of the conflict in Kashmir.^[66][67] Sanjukta Sharma of Mint found the film to be an "immensely effective reimagination of Shakespeare" and particularly praised Kapoor for playing his part with "impressive zest and inventiveness".^[68] Writing for Hindustan Times, critic Anupama Chopra wrote that Kapoor initially seemed uncomfortable in the complex central role, but added that he "slowly [...] comes to inhabit Haider, veering from rage to jealousy to madness in a heartbeat."^[69] Kapoor won several awards for the role, including the Screen Award, Producers Guild Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Actor.^[70][71][72]

After completing the duties of a talent judge on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded,^[73] Kapoor appeared opposite Alia Bhatt in Vikas Bahl's Shaandaar (2015). A critical and commercial failure, it is about insomniacs who fall in love during a destination wedding.^[74][75] Kapoor next took on the role of a drug abusing rock star in Udta Punjab (2016), a crime drama from the director Abhishek Chaubey that documents the substance abuse endemic in the Indian state of Punjab. Kapoor, a teetotaler, found it challenging to play an addict.^[76] He based the role on several pop stars, and was interested in bringing out his character's vulnerability despite his obnoxious actions.^[76] Udta Punjab generated controversy when the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) demanded extensive censorship before its theatrical release, citing that the portrayal of Punjab in it was negative.^[77] The demands sparked a debate on freedom of expression in India.^[77] After the producers filed a lawsuit against the board, the Bombay High Court cleared it for exhibition with a single scene cut, in which Kapoor's character is shown urinating on people.^[78] Sukanya Verma took note of the film's anti-drug message; she considered Kapoor to be "spectacularly unbridled" in his part and added that "the believability he brings to his complex transition while preserving his inherent flakiness deserves all the praise".^[79] Kapoor won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor (shared with Manoj Bajpayee for Aligarh) and received a Best Actor nomination at the same ceremony.^[80][81]

In his third collaboration with Vishal Bharadwaj, an epic romance set during World War II entitled Rangoon (2017), Kapoor played the part of a taciturn soldier who develops a romance with a film actress (played by Kangana Ranaut). Filming was marred by a reported feud between Ranaut and Kapoor, and although they denied the reports, both stars publicly commented against the other.^[82] The film received mixed reviews; Rajeev Masand termed the film "overlong, indulgent to the point of exhaustion", but praised Kapoor for playing his part with "remarkable maturity".^[83] In addition, Uday Bhatia of Mint was appreciative of the chemistry between Ranaut and Kapoor.^[84] Rangoon failed to recoup its ₹610 million (US$7.3 million) investment.^[85]

Kapoor next played Rawal Ratan Singh, a 14th-century Rajput ruler, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmaavat (2018), co-starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Amid violent protests by right-wing Hindu groups, who speculated that the film distorted historical facts, it was cleared for release by the CBFC after several modifications were made.^[86][87] Ankur Pathak of HuffPost was disappointed in the film's adherence to regressive patriarchal mores and criticised Kapoor for being "a bit too stiff and robotic".^[88] Padmaavat had a production budget of ₹2 billion (US$24 million), making it the most expensive Hindi film ever made.^[89] With a worldwide gross of ₹5.45 billion (US$65 million), it ranks among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time and is the biggest success of Kapoor's career.^[90] Later that year, he starred in Batti Gul Meter Chalu, a social problem film about electricity issues in rural India, for which he learnt the Garhwali dialect.^[91][92] Filming was temporarily suspended when its production company, KriArj Entertainment, failed to remunerate the crew, and resumed after Bhushan Kumar took over the project.^[93] Saibal Chatterjee reviewed, "Kapoor, working within a screenplay that is undercooked and confused, tries his very best to make the best of a bad deal but is unable to pack any real power".^[94]

In 2019, Kapoor starred in Kabir Singh, a remake of the Telugu romantic drama Arjun Reddy (2017), in which he played a self-destructive alcoholic pining for his ex-girlfriend. He found it challenging to distance himself from the part, and feared bringing home the experience to his wife and children.^[95] For scenes in which he played a college student, he lost 14 kg.^[96] Writing for The Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta criticised the film's misogynistic themes and found Kapoor to be "too old for this role, and his dissolution never feels as sharply realized as the one he managed so superbly in Udta Punjab".^[97] Even so, it earned over ₹3.7 billion (US$44 million) worldwide to emerge as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year and Kapoor's biggest commercial success in which he played the sole male lead.^[98][99] He received another Best Actor nomination at Filmfare.^[100]

Hiatus and streaming projects (2020–present)

After a three-year absence from the screen, Kapoor starred in the sports drama Jersey (2022), a remake of the Telugu film of the same name, about a former cricketer who wants to make a comeback in his late 30s.^[101] While filming for a cricket sequence, he suffered an injury to his forehead that needed 13 stitches.^[102] Production and release of the film was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[103] He was praised by Archika Khurana of The Times of India for his credibility as a cricketer.^[104] It did not perform well at the box office.^[105]

Kapoor was first offered a starring role in Farzi, a crime drama film from the filmmaking duo Raj & DK, in 2014. By the end of the decade, it was expanded into a streaming series (a format Kapoor was keen to explore), and was released on Amazon Prime Video in 2023.^[106][107] He played Sunny, a disillusioned artist who decides to make counterfeit money. Scroll.in's Nandini Ramnath found Kapoor to be in "fine form despite looking too old for the part", adding that he "reins in his tendency for self-pitying bombast to deliver a performance that complements Sunny’s vanity for equating counterfeiting with art".^[108] Eager to work in an intense action film, Kapoor accepted Ali Abbas Zafar's offer to star in Bloody Daddy (2023), a remake of the French film Sleepless Night (2011).^[106][109] It was filmed in 36 days amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was digitally released on JioCinema to avoid the pitfalls of censorship in a theatrical release.^[110] Reviewers for NDTV and Rediff.com deemed the film and Kapoor's performance "adequate" and "serviceable".^[111][112] Both Farzi and Bloody Daddy had strong viewership, with the former becoming the most-watched Indian streaming series ever.^[113][114]

Keen to do a light-hearted role after a series of intense parts, Kapoor signed on to the romantic comedy Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (2024), in which he starred as a man who falls in love with a humanoid robot (played by Kriti Sanon).^[115] WION's Shomini Sen found it a "middling performance" by his own high standards.^[116] It emerged as a commercial success.^[117]

Kapoor will next play a cop in Rosshan Andrrews' action thriller Deva.^[118] He will also reteam with Bhardwaj in the action thriller Arjun Ustara.^[119]