Shahid Kapoor broke his romantic hero image when he teamed with talented filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj for Kaminey.

Not only Sasha showed his versatility as an actor in the film, he also got critical acclaim for the very first time. Now the talent actor and his favorite director are back with yet another film which is set to release on October 2. Yes, we are talking about Haider which has managed to create great buzz and looks promising. Well, that’s the reason we caught up with Shahid recently to chat about his latest film. And the first thing that we noticed was his new hair cut. Trust us, the Kapoor lad has never looked so cute! On top of it, Sasha was in a good mood and kept throwing witty one-liners in between the conversation. He spoke at length about Haider and how he has changed as an actor. Read on to know what exactly he told us…..

Are you in a happy space professionally? Coz you are getting to play all sorts of roles….

I really don’t know…I think I am in a happy space in general. I am happy with what happened to my last film. I am very proud of being part of Haider and I am having fun with Shandaar. As for getting to play all sorts of roles, I never imagined that I would get to play a role like this where I would go bald, hold a skull in my hand, shoot in Kashmir, share screen space with actors like Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon and Shraddha, basically get to play Hamlet. So the most exiting thing about being an actor is how filmmakers see you and surprise you. You don’t know what’s coming. Also, now when I do a film, I go with a completely clean slate because that’s a filmmaker’s journey and you have to go along with him.

So would you say you needed to do something as hard core as R…Rajkumar to trip you of all the baggage and now you’re in a reboot mode with doing complex films like Haider?

I think this has tripped me off more than R…Rajkumar because its really liberating when you go out there and shave you’re head to do four hours of work. As an actor its all about how you look and people like you and they must find you attractive. But your just let go off all your inhibitions and say this is what the role needs me to do and you do it. That’s liberating in its own way. Yes, going from a genre like R…Rajkumar to Haider, going from a filmmaker like Prabhu Dheva to Vishal Bhardwaj, definitely makes you understand that you have gone from one spectrum to another. Its tiring and scary but at the same time very liberating. I am up for anything now, I am happy trying anything.

Haider is based on Hamlet and a lot of people have already read the book and familiar with the story. So how confident are you that your film will still attract the audience?

Ek film aayi thi 2 States which did really well and it was based on a book. That’s because reading a book and watching a film are two very different experiences. In fact, even when you make a remake of a film, you’re seeing a new version of it. And aise dekhne jaye to bahut saari films ki kahaani same hi hoti hain but we still go and watch the film. But Haider is a very different version of Hamlet, if you were to truly make what is written in the Shakespeare’s novel, I don’t even know if the Indian audience would connect to it. So you have to take few elements the original story, add new characters and situations and make the film. That’s what Vishal sir has done and he did it in the past with Maqbool and Omkara and both the films were appreciated. So there are certain things which will surprise the audience.

Do you think this is the most challenging role of your career?

Yes! By far this is the most challenging role of my career. I use to think that maybe Kaminey was very different since I was playing twins and had the whole speech defect. But eventually Haider turned out to be far more challenging. I didn’t feel it when I read the script but when I started playing the role I realised it.

When you’re trying out a new genre there is always a question mark. So were you apprehensive about taking up Haider?

There are apprehensions on most films that you do. Because there are certain things that work in a film but then you fear about few things that and think ‘if it goes in this direction it may not work.’ So that exists in every film that you do. So Haider had its own pros and areas which I was afraid of. But that’s the risk that you have to take if you believe in the film and the filmmaker.

Tabu said in an interview very sympathetically that you have the entire film to carry on your shoulders…

Tabu ma’am is talking anything… She’s got outstanding role in this film. She is underplaying coz she wants people to come and say ‘Haan Shahid toh theek tha…Par Tabu ma’am was so good. She is gotta killer role in this film. So don’t take her seriously at all (smiles).

You said that you’re in a happy space. So does the happy space have to do with the kind of box office success R…Rajkumar got or the kind of film that you’re getting to do which is Haider.

Everything I guess. Earlier, I use to think a lot about the result. So that use to affect me if the film didn’t do too well. But now I have understood that the right way to do work is to focus on the process. Nobody known which film is going to do well and which isn’t. But you can really enjoy the process do making films. So when you focus on that you eventually make a better film as well. You became a better person and also feel happier. If you keep worrying about the result, you won’t enjoy what you’re doing.

First Kaminey and now Haider, Vishal Bhardwaj has always given you intense, dark roles. So what is it that he sees in you as an actor which other filmmakers don’t?

You know… Our relationship has really grown. I don’t know what he sees in me which other people don’t. But he also somebody who makes different films. I don’t think its just me, whoever he has worked with in Maqbool, Omkara and Kaminey, he has always brought out something new in actors whether its male or female. He is also somebody who always gives female protagonist an amazing opportunity to perform. Same goes for the actors. I am fortunate that I have got two very challenging roles that he has written but I really don’t know how to break it down or how to analyse it. Its really him (Vishal Bhardwaj) and how he sees things a bit differently.

src:bollywoodlife