Shahid Kapoor's rise to stardom reads like a Bollywood script: from a background dancer to a superstar, with many bumps and hurdles in between. Though some of his recent outings have not been that successful but as Karan Johar said in his chat show Koffee With Karan while introducing him, 'the fact that Shahid is still there and is not written off shows that you can't ignore a great actor for long'.
Shahid turns 34 today and we take you to a pictorial journey through his life.
Actor Shahid Kapoor's rise to stardom reads like a Bollywood script: from background dancer to superstar, with many bumps and hurdles in between. Some of his recent outings have not been that successful but, as Karan Johar said on his chat show Koffee With Karan while introducing him, 'the fact that Shahid is still there and is not written off shows that you can't ignore a great actor for long'.
Shahid turns 34 today and we take you through a pictorial journey of his life.
Shahid, born on February 25, 1981, is the son of actors Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azeem. He was three years old when his parents divorced and he moved in with his mother.
This transition didn't affect Shahid's relationship with his father. Till date, he shares a great rapport with both his father and stepmother Supriya Pathak.
Shahid studied at Rajhans Vidyalaya, Mumbai. He also trained as a dancer with Shiamak Davar.
This image was posted on Instagram by Shahid Kapoor.
Shahid's first brush with fame was modest. He appeared in several music videos, including Aryans' song Aankho Mein Tera Hi Chehra and ads, including the Pepsi commercial with Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Shahid, who was a part of choreographer Shiamak Davar's dance troupe, performed as a background dancer in the song Kahin Aag Lage Lag Jawe from Taal (1999), which starred actress Aishwarya Rai and in songs from 1997's Dil To Pagal Hai featuring actress Karisma Kapoor.
Shahid made his official film debut with Ken Ghosh's 2003 film Ishq Vishq. His performance earned him the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award.
In the same year, Shahid was directed by Ken Ghosh in Fida, where he co-starred with Kareena Kapoor and Fardeen Khan. The film failed to do well at the box office but Shahid's performance was praised. He then appeared in Dil Maange More opposite Soha Ali Khan, Tulip Joshi, and Ayesha Takia.
John M Matthan's drama Shikhar (2005), co-starring Ajay Devgn and Bipasha Basu, showcased Shahid's depth as a performer.
In 2006, Shahid appeared in hit films like 36 China Town and Priyadarshan's comedy Chup Chup Ke, both starring then-girlfriend Kareena Kapoor.
In the same year, Shahid delivered his biggest hit in Vivah, opposite Amrita Rao. The film, directed by Sooraj Barjatya, put Shahid in Bollywood's front row. His portrayal of Prem earned him Best Actor nominations at various award functions.
In 2007, Shahid appeared in Ahmed Khan's Fool And Final which didn't fare well at the box office.
In the same year, he delivered an acclaimed performance opposite girlfriend Kareena Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy Jab We Met.
But by the time the film was declared the biggest hit of the year, the couple had called it quits. However, Shahid was nominated for Best Actor at all the top award shows including Filmfare and IIFA.
In 2008, Shahid teamed up with Vidya Balan for Aziz Mirza's Kismat Konnection.
Shahid was hugely commended in 2009 for his double role as Charlie and Guddu in Kaminey. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, with Priyanka Chopra as the lead actress, the film was a blockbuster and fetched Shahid acting nominations.
Later the same year, Shahid appeared in Anurag Singh's romantic comedy Dil Bole Hadippa! alongside Rani Mukherjee. Shahid was applauded for his performance.
In 2010, Shahid was seen in Ken Ghosh's film Chance Pe Dance alongside Genelia D'Souza. It was quickly followed up with Paathshaala, opposite Ayesha Takia and Nana Patekar. Both failed to make a mark at the box office.
Another 2010 release was Badmaash Company, an above average grosser with Shahid, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chang and Virr Das. Though the film received mixed reviews, this time also Shahid's performance was noted again.
In 2011, Shahid Kapoor appeared opposite Sonam Kapoor in Mausam, a movie directed and written by his father Pankaj Kapur. The film was panned but Shahid was singled out for praise.
In June 2012, Shahid Kapoor appeared in Kunal Kohli's Teri Meri Kahaani opposite Priyanka Chopra. Like Mausam, it tanked but critics saved praise for Shahid.
Shahid's first release in 2013 the year was comedy Phata Poster Nikhla Hero opposite Ileana D'Cruz, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The movie received mixed reviews from the critics.
Shahid Kapoor's second release of 2013 was Prabhu Deva's action film R…Rajkumar, opposite Sonakshi Sinha. Despite negative reviews, the film made profits and Shahid's tapori act was hailed with delight.
In 2014, Shahid Kapoor delivered a career-best performance in Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider, which was an adaption of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, with Shraddha Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, and Tabu. The film was hailed by critics and audience alike and brought Shahid back to the track of Bollywood's greatest hitmakers. In 2015, the actor bagged all the awards for his portrayal of the revenge seeking son.
For 2015, the actor has wrapped up Vikas Bahl's Shandaar opposite Alia Bhatt and will soon start work on Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab. The film also stars Alia Bhatt and his ex-flame Kareena. However, the two will not share screen space in the film, which was reportedly Kareena's condition for the project.
This image was posted on Instagram by Alia Bhatt.
Shahid and Kareena's publicly-acknowledged romance was a breath of fresh air in secretive Bollywood. However, after they broke up Shahid was less forthcoming about his later rumoured relationships. He was linked to co-stars Amrita Rao, Vidya Balan and Genelia D'Souza and even tennis player Sania Mirza. However, the only romance he admitted to (kind of) on Koffee With Karan was with Priyanka Chopra. He is now reportedly dating his R…Rajkumar heroine Sonakshi Sinha.
Shahid is also much in demand as a performer at award shows and as a brand ambassador, endorsing coffee, men's skincare and music systems. We wish the talented actor a very happy birthday!
This image was posted on Instagram by Shahid Kapoor.
