#King

He channels Rana Rawal Ratan Singh in Padmavati and it’s clear from his presence in the movie that Shahid Kapoor is a man completely focused on being the best he can. And a certain toddler has a lot to do with that.

- Nikita Sawant

You feel his energy even before he walks in the door, looking dashing for the Femina cover shoot. That’s Shahid Kapoor for you—dynamic, restless and charismatic. Nidhi Sunil is resplendent in a lace corset and lehenga, ready to kill it in front of the camera. One look at the duo and you know it’s going to be a magnificent shoot. While the photographer preps for the first shot,Sunil looks on, amused, as Kapoor literally bounces from one foot to the other, raring to start. This is evident even in our phone interview, which happened at 10 pm a few days after the shoot. As we talk, I can feel my weariness from the work day being washed away. Kapoor is as animated as ever as he gives me a peek into his life. So far, it revolves around a marriage he’s proud of, a child he loves to the moon and back, and professional success earned the hard way. His fans may know him as the versatile actor who proved his mettle in films like Jab We Met, Haider, Udta Panjab, and now the much-awaited Padmavati, but there are two other roles he considers far more challenging and rewarding. We get right into it.

What was it like shooting the Femina cover with Nidhi Sunil? 

I really enjoyed it. The shoot was edgy and Prasad (Naik) is someone I’ve always done great work with. I liked the offbeat approach we took to make the wedding theme more interesting. Everything we did in this photo shoot was completely different than anything I’ve done in the past.

Speaking of the past, let’s travel way back. What were you like as a child? 

I would say mine was a pretty regular childhood. I used to live with my maternal grandparents and was spoilt rotten. I was quite bratty and used to play a lot of cricket.

What was your equation with girls like?