Shahid Kapoor made his feature film debut as a shy chocolate boy with the movie Ishq Vishq, and the actor has not looked back since then.  Shahid took on diverse roles ranging from a deranged druggie in Udta Punjab to a morally upright Rajput king in Padmaavat.  Son of renowned actor Pankaj Kapoor and Neelima Azeem, Shahid hails from a family with acting in its blood. Shahid Kapoor has grown in the Hindi film industry on his own merit, establishing himself with his choice of tricky and versatile roles. 

Shahid Kapoor turns 39 today.  Let us have a look at some of his most versatile roles in recent years. 

1. Haider (2014) 

Haider was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  Shahid Kapoor starred as Haider Meer, a student returning from Aligarh Muslim University to his home in Kashmir, only to find his father missing.  Haider starts out on a journey with his friend Arshia, a journalist, to find out what happened to his father. What begins as an ordinary search, spirals out of control and drags Haider  into a web of conspiracies involving terrorist entities. Haider showcases an individual’s journey from sanity into the depths of insanity.  Shahid was splendid in showcasing Haider’s slow descent into madness.

2. Udta Punjab (2016) 

When Udta Punjab released, it courted controversy due to the nature of its content and plot that hinted at the highly prevalent drug abuse problem among the youth of Punjab.  The censor board had to step in and direct the filmmakers to make a total of 89 cuts to the film. Shahid Kapoor starred as Tejinder Singh, also known as Gabru, who has a penchant for abusing drugs and writing songs that glorify violence.  In an unfortunate incident, Gabru accidentally shoots an accomplice which lands him in prison. This causes Gabru to reflect on his actions and how his songs mislead the youth of Punjab to use drugs. Gabru has a change of heart and decides to use his fame to spread word about the negative effects of drugs. Shahid’s portrayal of Gabru as an energetic singer and his portrayal of a man who has a change of heart was brilliant.

3. Padmaavat (2018) 

Shahid Kapoors played the role of one of India’s celebrated Rajput warrior kings, Maharawal Ratan Singh in Padmaavat.  Shahid was spot on in portraying Raja Ratan Singh, being mellow when required and showcasing the famed Rajput bravery when required.  Be it handling a sword on the battlefield or giving inspiring speeches to his followers, Shahid was able to do it all with a flourish.  Padmaavat was a movie filled with powerful acting performances from Shahid Kapoor. 

4. Kabir SIngh (2019) 

Kabir Singh was Shahid Kapoor’s latest movie and  a remake of the Telugu cult movie Arjun Reddy.  Shahid Kapoor was able to showcase the journey of Kabir Singh, a house surgeon, who loses his way by abusing alcohol and drugs  due to a break up with the love of his life. The breakup completely derails Kabir Singh’s life leading him to cut corners and regulations in surgeries and abuse his relationship with his best friends.  Shahid’s performance as Kabir Singh was compelling and his acting was of excellent quality. 

Here is wishing this extremely talented actor a very happy birthday and here is looking forward to more amazing movies from Shahid Kapoor!

The post Shahid Kapoor: Happy Birthday To A Versatile Performer appeared first on Mango Bollywood.