Introduction

Shahid Kapoor is an Indian film actor. He got his acting talent from his father Pankaj Kapur, an accomplished actor. Shahid started his career by appearing in music videos and advertisements. Shahid made his Bollywood debut with "Ishq Vishk" in 2003 and also won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. This success was followed by films like Fida (2004) and Shikhar (2005) which did not do well at the box office. He had his first major commercial success with Sooraj R. Barjatya's 'Vivah' in 2006. Later, he was nominated in Filmfare Best Actor Award category for Jab We Met (2007) and Kaminey (2009). Fast forwarding to 2014, he will be seen in the movie Haider along with Shraddha Kapoor.

Early Life

Shahid was born on 25 February 1981 to screenwriter Pankaj Kapur and actor cum classical dancer Neelima Azeem. Both his parents were involved in the film world. Shahid’s great grandfather was the film director, screenwriter, novelist and journalist Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, often known as K. A. Abbas. However, Shahid’s parents divorced when he was three and he went to live with his mother and maternal grandparents in Saket, Delhi. His father then got married to Supriya Pathak. In his early days, Shahid studied at Gyan Bharti School in Delhi, and then moved on to Rajhans Vidyalaya in Mumbai.

Entry into Bollywood

At a young age, Shahid learned dancing from Shiamak Davar Institute of Performing Arts. He then worked in several TV ads for Pepsi with Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherji and Kajol. His first appearance in the film world was as a background dancer for the song Kahin Aag Lage Lag Jaawe in the 1999 Subhas Ghai film Taal. Soon, he cut short his appearances in ad films and music videos so that he could focus on making his Bollywood debut.

Shahid made his entrance into Bollywood films in the movie Ishq Vishk in 2003 wherein he played the role of a carefree young man opposite Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala. Critics lauded his dancing skills, good looks as well as his ability to handle the dramatic and emotional moments with flourish. He won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his role in this film. In 2004, he appeared in the thriller called Fida, co-starring with Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Although the film flopped, he again won praise due to his shining role, fresh, impulsive and emotional appeal. In the same year, his appearance in the film Dil Maange More evoked a mixed response with some critics saying that Shahid imitated Shahrukh Khan.

The year 2005 saw Shahid play the role of Jaidev Vardhan as a man drawn in to the world of greed, in the movie Shikhar. For his role in this critically acclaimed film, Shahid earned his first nomination for the Star Screen Award for Best Actor. Critics claimed that he was getting better with every film.

Shahid’s breakthrough and claim to fame came in the year 2006 with two movies - 36 China Town and Chup Chup ke. Both the movies saw moderate success, but Shahid’s fame and popularity increased rapidly. His last film for 2006 was Vivah, which depicted a journey of a couple from engagement to marriage. The film became one of the highest grosser for the year earning Shahid his second nomination for Best Actor at the Star Screen Awards and critics noted his exceptional performance in the emotional sequences.

The year 2006 was also the year when Shahid embarked on a world tour with stars like Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, John Abraham, Esha Deol, Mallika Sherawat and Zaved Khan. The following year, he acted in the film Fool & Final, which was a dismal flop and failed to produce any positive reviews. In the same year, he acted in the film Jab We Met which was a phenomenal success as a love story. Critics noted that despite the possibility of him being overshadowed by his co-star Kareena Kapoor, Shahid left an indelible impression and was the perfect foil to Kareena’s boisterousness.

His film Kismat Konnection in 2008 opposite Vidya Balan, underperformed at the box office. He next appeared in the thriller Kaminey in 2009 opposite Priyanka Chopra. The film did well at the box office and his portrayal of the twins Charlie and Guddu earned him rave reviews from critics for giving the best performance as an actor for that year in a Bollywood film . The film displayed his ability to take on challenging roles, breaking out of his chocolate boy image. His second appearance that year was in the movie Dil Bole Hadippa, which received an insipid response at the box office. In the same year he acted in the dance drama Chance Pe Dance opposite Genelia De’ Souza, followed with the films Paathshala and Badmaash Company.

The year 2010 saw him act in the much-delayed release of the film Milenge Milenge, which drew a negative response. Next in 2011 he appeared in the film Mausam opposite Sonam Kapoor, which turned out to be a box office flop.

His next film in 2012 was Teri Meri Kahaani opposite Priyanka Chopra wherein his performance was well received, although the film did not do well.

In July 2013, Shahid and Sharukh Khan co-hosted the 14th IIFA Awards at Macau, after which his film Phata Poster Nikla Hero opposite Ileana D’Cruz was released and it got a mediocre response at the box office. Next in 2013 was his action film R… Rajkumar, opposite Sonakshi Sinha which performed well at the box office. In September 2014, he completed filming for Haider, where he co-starred with Tabu, Shraddha Kapoor and KK Menon. Here, Shahid donned various hairstyles as well as learnt to speak in colloquial Kashmiri. He is currently filming Shaandar, and two thrillers Farzi and Udta Punjab.

Recognitions

He has been honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Award and the Apsara Chevrolet Heartbeat of the Nation (Male) (2010)

Awards

Filmfare Awards

• Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for the movie Ishq Vishk (2004)

Star Screen Awards

• Star Screen Award for the Most Promising Newcomer – Male for the film Ishq Vishk (2004)

• Star Screen Award for Best Popular Actor for the film Kaminey (2010)

Zee Cine Awards

• Zee Cine Award for Best Male Debut for the film Ishq Vishk (2004)

IIFA Award

• IIFA Award for Best Male Debut for the film Ishq Vishk (2004)

Stardust Awards

• Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow – Male for the film Ishq Vishk (2004)

• Editor's Choice Award for Best Actor for the film Jab We Met (2008)

• Editor's Choice Award for Best Actor for the film Kaminey (2010)