Shahid Says the Role of Udta Punjab's Tommy is 'Better' Than Haider

Mumbai: Actor Shahid Kapoor has journeyed a long way since he made his debut as a hero in Bollywood with Ishq Vishk. But he believes that after delivering a powerhouse performance in Kaminey, he lost track.

"After Kaminey, I think I lost the track. So after Haider, I did not want to repeat the same mistake. With due respect to the kind of support and appreciation I received for Haider, I wanted to do better roles. I'm happy I didn't have to wait much and got a chance to perform in Udta Punjab," Shahid said at the success party of Udta Punjab, which released on June 17 after a battle with the Censor Board.

"Since I have done Kaminey, one thing I have realised is that the youth wants to watch something different. However, we are scared to experiment with new ideas," he added.

Shahid played contrasting roles featuring both as Charlie and Guddu in Vishal Bhardwaj's 2009 film Kaminey. And now, his role of a drug addicted rockstar Tommy Singh in Udta Punjab, which got leaked online before its release, has been critically appreciated.

"We are genuinely upset about the leak. We are thankful for the massive support we got from media and people. Even though the leak happened, it is the biggest opening in my career. However, I feel if the film wasn't leaked, it could have earned 20 to 25 per cent more," he said.

The Abhishek Chaubey-directed movie is based on drug abuse in Punjab and also stars Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)