Since his filmi debut in 2003, Shahid Kapur has “seen both good times and bad times” and says he’s now a changed man. He talks more, tweets more and undercuts your perfectly serious questions with unexpected and witty one-liners. We met him late one night and realised that there’s no winning a contest of words with the new Shahid.

‘I’ve become dangerously fun’
He’s received rave reviews for his performance and anchoring at a recent award show, even from Shah Rukh Khan. “Yes,” says Shahid, “I’ve received a few messages. I’m actually a very shy person. But of late, I’ve discovered a fun side to myself, which existed somewhere deep inside. Now it’s becoming dangerously fun. Ha ha.” Shahid also shares an equation with SRK, beyond the usual cinematic comparisons. He says, “Shah Rukh bhai – Shah Rukh Khan – dealt with me on the show like an elder brother. He’s amazingly witty on stage. I hosted four segments and performed to Dhan Te Nan, my favourite song of the year. This is the first show I hosted and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.”

‘Genelia is the perfect heroine for love stories’
Shahid believes that his co-star in UTV’s Chance Pe Dance, Genelia D’Souza, helped him improve his performance in the flick and was perfect for the role. He says, “I think Genelia is the perfect heroine for love stories. She’s got the perfect balance of being charming and endearing. She’s coming into her own now. She has done some brilliant work in the South.”

‘My Goa trip was with my best buddy Sriram. I can vouch that Sriram is not a hot girl”
Much has been spoken and written about Shahid’s New Year trip to Goa. But all that just amuses him. He says, “I’m also looking for the hot girl whom I went with. It was hot and there were lots of girls. The two were not combined. The trip was fun. I just bought a new Range Rover and I was excited about taking it out. Although I was there for just three days, it was great fun. I went with my friend Sriram, who, I can vouch, is not a hot girl. I’ve known him for 18 years and I have seen him in pretty much everything and nothing.”

‘Ken rejected me, said I looked like a broom. But then he realised his mistake and cast me’
Just like his character Samir Bahl in Chance Pe Dance, Shahid too was a struggling newcomer and was rejected many times. He says, “There is a scene in Chance Pe Dance which was exactly what happened with me too. The character is emoting a scene when the director stops him and says, ‘Cut. Thanks. We’ll get back.’ It happened with me. Ken rejected me. He said I look like a broom and not like a hero. A year later, Ken realised his mistake, cast me and has made all his films after that with me. You never know which opportunity takes you where. When life throws a chance at you, grab it with both hands.”

‘If there’s a future left after this flick, I’m doing...’
We ask him what projects keep him busy after Chance Pe Dance, and Shahid says, “If there’s a future left... agar future mein kaam mila toh karenge. But immediately after this, it will be Pathshaala, a small but sweet film. I’m not a hero, mine is a special appearance, about 40 minutes long. But it’s special to me because it’s produced by Shaira Khan, choreographer Ahmed Khan’s wife. Ahmad did Dhan Te Nan with us. He is a very close buddy, almost like family. The film is about the education system in the country. Then, my next is with Anushka Sharma and directed by Parmeet Sethi. But this year is dedicated to my father’s film. I am playing an Air Force officer and it’s a love story.”

‘I don’t think I know anything beyond cinema’
Shahid lives life in technicolour and likes it that way. And at the moment, he only wants to focus on 70mm and says, “I want to learn how to cook and how to play the guitar. I already know a bit of photography. In fact, on the sets of CPD, I took a few pics of Genelia while she was in a shot.”

‘I do not have a definition for love’
Shahid is unfailingly in the news for his love life. Have such things change his views on love? Says Shahid, “I don’t have a definition for love. I think it’s something which happens... it is something beautiful. When I get an innocent peck from a ten-year-old child and there’s a smile on his face, when my mum gives me a hug when I’m tired, that’s love. When my father looks in my eyes, and says, ‘Beta, I’ve found the subject of the film which I will make with you as an actor and myself as the director.’ I see love there. So love exists in all forms.”

‘I’m pretty settled right now. How much more do you want me to settle down?’
There’ve been reports that Shahid’s asked his parents to look for a girl for him. To this, he says, “I look pretty settled. How much more do you want me to settle down? I had just said that in jest. Everyone is trying to pin me down with somebody. People see anyone raasta chalte, they say, ‘Isko Shahid ke saath connect kar do, shayad kuch ho jaaye.’ I tell Genelia every day, koi ladki hai, achhi, sundar, sushil, sadharan?”