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OPINION: How Shahid Kapoor can ensure bold moves and soft landings to keep his fans coming back for more
Shahid Kapoor is among the most versatile actors in Bollywood. Here is an analysis of how his bold choices, complimented with softer choices, can keep his fan base hooked.
Shahid Kapoor, a young boy, entered the Hindi Film industry nearly 21 years back and stole everyone's hearts with his oh-so-cute looks. His mere presence on silver screens was enough to captivate the audience, but it wasn't what his pursuit was in the long run. Starting from Ishq Vishk to Deva and going further to Arjun Ustara, there is no question about Kapoor's versatility.
Being a Shahid Kapoor fan, I've seen his growth as an actor from strength to strength. No wonder he has been extremely selective about his choices, and rightly so. While we look forward to what he brings new for his audience, exploring the hopes one can have from the star going further.
Shahid made his acting debut in 2003 with Ishk Vishk, which created a chocolate boy image for him, making him a heartthrob overnight. This continued with his roles in movies like Vivah, Dil Maange More, and 36 China Town, among others.
While these films solidified his image as a quintessential Bollywood hero, he broke the mold by making strong choices—Tommy Singh in Udta Punjab, Kabir Singh, and Guddu in Kaminey. While these films have largely contributed to proving his potential as an actor, somewhere or another, a section of fans has also found it difficult to relate to these performances.
The controversies, especially with Udta Punjab and Kabir Singh, have had polarized opinions. When it comes to Arjun Ustara actor, there is no denying that he has carved a major fan base from family entertainers like Vivah and rom-coms like Jab We Met and Ishq Vishk— presenting a green flag imagery of a boy.
Watching such a loved character experimenting with his image by taking edgy and gray-shade roles comes with its own price. I mean, it's clearly visible how Tommy Singh of Udta Punjab and Kabir Singh have had polarized views that divided the internet into two groups, each one having their own reasons to like or dislike him.
But a fan like me would want Shahid to maintain a balance between his choice of roles to keep his fans in harmony with his choices. And he is doing it pretty well, isn't he? A Kabir Singh has been compensated with an emotional sports drama, Jersey, and then a light-hearted Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya.
Realizing the dilemma of an actor to balance between his creative satisfaction and delighting the audience with massy entertainers can be tricky. Not that we expect him to continue with rom-coms, but a smart choice by making age-appropriate roles can make a huge difference.
It is worth applauding how, in his 40s, Shahid continues to look extremely handsome but remains conscious of his character. For example, in TBMAUJ, we didn't see him as a young boy goofing around but as an established and mature robotics engineer.
While we look forward to seeing him taking up a maniacal police officer in Deva and an edgy gangster in Arjun Ustara, let's hope to see a sane character that would resonate with every age group.
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