Shahid Kapoor Gave 100 Auditions Before Making His Bollywood Debut, Worked For Free In Haider

Shahid Kapoor is certainly one of the most refined actors in the tinsel town with some memorable performances in films like Haider, Udta Punjab, Kabir Singh to name a few. He has indeed made a reputation for himself over the decades and is surely revered as a powerful actor. However, this journey to success was not an easy ride for Shahid Kapoor. The actor faced many auditions before he landed a role in the 2003 film Ishq Vishk. Going forward, he stayed true to his craft and even did a project for free because he believed it had a lot of potential.

In conversation with Anupama Chopra, Shahid Kapoor revealed that he has given over 100 auditions before he landed a role in Ishq Vishk opposite Amrita Rao, Shenaz Treasurywala. When asked by the interviewer, Shahid said, “From the age of say 18, 19 till 21, so do dhai teen saal even if I was going for 3 auditions a month that’s 40 auditions a year, so in three years that’s 120 auditions. My broad math.”

During the same interview, Shahid Kapoor was also asked whether he took payment for his critically acclaimed film Haider directed by Vishal Bharadwaj. Shahid stated that he did not and reasoned that “They could not afford me, They said if they had to pay me then then the budget of the film would not get sanctioned because it was a very experimental subject and they really didn’t know whether it will land at all but it was very compelling kind of product to make and so I said that, Yeah I’ll do it.”

Further, sharing an anecdote from the time he was shooting for Kabir Singh, Shahid Kapoor shared that he would take a long shower on the sets after a shoot as he smelled of nicotine by the end of the day. Due to the part he was playing, he had to smoke two packets of cigarettes while shooting, and with a newborn child at home, he did not want to take any traces back home.

Shahid Kapoor was last seen in the film Bloody Daddy. This year, he also made his web debut with Farzi streaming on Prime Video. Shahid will appear in the film Deva alongside Pooja Hedge, which will be released in theatres on October 11, 2024. Deva follows a talented yet rebellious police investigator who is investigating a high-profile crime, according to the creators.