Link me with Rani Mukerji, says Shahid Kapur

Shahid Kapur has been having a particularly good year with ‘Kaminey’ making waves at the BO and playing lead opposite Rani Mukerji, who is making a comeback of sorts. In an exclusive interview with Shashank Chouhan of Spicezee.com, Shahid narrates his experience of `Dil Bole Hadippa`, how he tried to make stammering not sound funny and much more.Shashank: Tell us about your role in Dil Bole Hadippa.

Shahid: I play Rohan, a cricketer who plays for a County in England. Rohan lives in UK with his mother while his dad lives in Punjab. His dad has a local cricket team that’s been performing very badly since sometime. So, I come to Punjab to play for my dad and to make sure that his team gets its past glory back. Shashank:How was it working with Rani Mukherjee? She is making a comeback with you. Shahid: Firstly, I don’t think Rani ever went anywhere to have to make a comeback! Working with Rani was awesome. Considering that I had done an ad with her when I was a nobody and Rani had already become this star after `Kuch Kuch Hota Hai`, it was great to work with her as her hero! Rani is such a talented actress and she dances so well…I had a lot of fun. Shashank: Has recession affected your remuneration? There are reports that you are charging 15 crore per project now? Shahid: Yes I have also heard these rumors…. It’s interesting to pick up the paper everyday and read some strange things about oneself … Shashank: You have played a double role in `Kaminey` for the first time. How tough was acting two characters in the same film? Shahid: Charlie and Guddu complement each other. Both are incomplete without each other. Between themselves they pretty much cover the entire gamut of emotions that a human mind normally experiences and feels. Both the roles had their own unique challenges. Charlie’s physique, for one, was very different from my personal appearance. Vishal and I were keen to do something radically different with Charlie’s look, and we wanted audiences to see the character and say – “Wow, is that really Shahid Kapoor?? Never seen him like this before!” It took me nearly a year to change the look of my body. Plus, Charlie also has a lisp! With Guddu, who stammers in the film, we didn’t want this to end up looking like a caricature in any way. Stammering traditionally in Hindi films is usually done to amuse people. We were very clear that we did not want that to happen. Vishal is very particular about not making fun of people’s physical deformities. So we met up with ENT specialists and did thorough research on the subject of both stammering and lisping. Shashank: Tell us about your upcoming ventures. Shahid: Yash Raj Film’s `Dil Bole Hadippa` releases on 18th of September. Post that, UTV’s Chance Pe Dance should release around November or December. Meanwhile I am currently shooting Yashraj’s second film, directed by Parmeet Sethi. Once that’s done I start shooting with my dad somewhere around December. By then `Paathshala` will also release. Shashank: There is much curiosity on whether you are single and ready to mingle or not. Shahid: Yes, I believe there is a lot of curiosity! Shashank: While there are so many rumours of you and Priyanka, there are almost none about you and Rani. Does that surprise you? Shahid: Yes it’s been amusing me and Rani both, how there is no link up between the two of us in the press…specially since I get linked up with every single heroine of mine… kuch karna padega! Shashank: From acting in commercials to being the lead opposite Rani Muerjee- what has been the journey like when you look back? Shahid: Very fulfilling and I feel very fortunate for all that I have got. Shashank: How do you maintain your physique and do you change it a lot as per demands of films? Shahid: Yes, my body’s look always depends on the demand of the role. For `Kaminey` I needed to have a lean body of a street fighter and I took a year to get that shape. For `Chance Pe Dance` I have an 8 pack and for the film that I am shooting currently I am required to look like a lean 22 year old. So my training depends completely on the demand of the director. But I have been a lot into fitness and it’s a part of my daily routine, something I can’t do without.