Shahid Kapoor: I have two releases in September, 'Batti Gul Meter Chalu' and my baby

A lean and super-fit Shahid Kapoor bounces (yes, bounces) into his office dressed, in a pair of black shorts co-ordinated with a stylish black tee. He gracefully accepts the compliments he receives for his athletic avatar. Chomping on a meal of boiled veggies, he sighs and adds, “This is what you have to eat to stay fit.”

Well, we know. But we’re not here to talk about his food. The agenda for our meeting is his career, his second baby and his next release Batti Gul Meter Chalu (BGMC), all of which is being animatedly discussed at this juncture. Over to Sasha:

What kind of feedback are you getting for BGMC?

BGMC is the kind of movie that is significant to people who live beyond Mumbai. So, the reaction of those around me isn’t relevant. The reason we made this film is because there is a certain section of the junta beyond your regular metropolis, who face a shortage of electricity. When I met director Shree Narayan Singh, I learnt from him that he comes from that world and is familiar with the real issues that people in such places face. So, he’s able to tell stories in a real manner. For example, I didn’t know the problem of sanitation in our country until I saw the trailer of Shree’s previous work, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK). He didn’t want to set BGMC in a city, but in a place where the issue was more relevant. And until I heard this script, I didn’t know how grave the problem of electricity or the lack of it was. Around 32 million people don’t have a single light bulb in their homes. When I learnt about this, it came as a huge shock to me.

You play a lawyer in the film. Are you scrupulous or unscrupulous?

In the beginning, I’m a kapti (unscrupulous) lawyer who is only interested in making moolah. Most often, he’s only interested in doing out-of-court settlements and earning a quick buck. Then something happens to his friend and he realises that he should do something about the problem that is being faced by many. Then, I become a conscientious guy who decides to fight for people.

You speak differently, too...

The shooting of this film was a learning process. The dialogues revealed so many facts and figures that I realised lack of electricity is a widespread problem. My effort while doing this movie was to be nothing like myself (a city person), but reach the grassroot reality.

While practising the line that mentions ‘facts and figures’, I used to say ‘phacts’ just like the locals there would pronounce the word. Mira (my wife) would ask me, ‘Are you sure about the character you are playing?’ And I would tell her that where this man comes from, the language he speaks, this is how it is. In Mumbai, if the power goes off for an hour, we wonder what is happening. On the other hand, there are places where people can’t afford or are not getting electricity at all. It’s a widespread problem that needs to be addressed.

Coming back to my first question, what kind of reactions did the trailer get?

We’ve got nice reactions. It’s a well-cut trailer, it’s funny, there is entertainment, love, friends, drama, strong dialect and an issue that is genuine. In today’s times, that is exciting. People want to get a feel of different parts of the country. 

This entire generation is in the process of discovering our roots. Most of the films you see being made and appreciated these days are grounded in reality, whether relationship-based or issue-oriented. BGMC falls in that category. This is interesting for me, coming next after Padmaavat, in which I played royalty. Also, I’ve never portrayed a character on screen that’s so local and raw.

While shooting for this film you regularly posted pictures of Tehri on social media.

BGMC is close to my heart. It was stalled for about a month and it took a while to get it back on track. The director and I are passionate about this project as it’s a story we want to tell and a film that we believe in. We had a lot of fun becoming these people and going to new places. New Tehri, where we shot, is a three-hour drive from Dehradun. It’s a quaint little town in the middle of Uttarakhand. I kept posting pictures online daily because every morning was so beautiful out there that I wanted to share it. I hadn’t heard about the place before, many people are not even aware about it, but it deserves to be visited. It has major electricity issues. Places that are higher in altitude have a lot of basic problems, like water can’t be drawn from the lake without power. Plus, it’s very cold there, minus two and three degree Celsius in the night. We were staying in one of the local hotels, so there was no internal heating or hot water. Once you are in bed, you feel the cold weather outside. I had three heaters, yet I was freaking out. I’m someone who follows a healthy diet, but the next day I would often say, ‘Give me chai, give me pakoras...’

Tackling issues through films is becoming a way of life for you, right?

I closely felt the world the film is set in. I’ve done two movies that are real and rooted. Haider, which was set in a conflicted state like Kashmir, was about a person’s emotions and the issues that he grapples with, though the core was Shakespearean. Then, Udta Punjab was about the drug problem in Punjab. Both films gave me immense love from the people we made them for because we told their stories without fictionalising them. When the trailer of TEPK came, I realised how grave an issue open defecation was. It enlightens you about things you’re not aware about. I’m fortunate that directors like Shree, Vishal (Bhardwaj) and Abhishek (Chaubey) as well as writers like Siddharth-Garima go to these places and want to tell stories that need to be told. Shree and Sidharth-Garima didn’t want to make BGMC into a documentary, they wanted to tell the story through all the gamut of emotions that they want you to feel. It’s not a personal story, but it’s woven like that... the journey may be personal, but it’s about a pertinent issue that many people in the country are facing.

For instance, I saw a video on YouTube about a sabziwala having committed suicide because his electricity bill was too high and the private company refused to admit that it could be a problem at their end. So yes, the film addresses real issues. I want to see how it turns out and how people react after watching it.

This year began on a big note for you, with a huge hit like Padmaavat. 

BGMC is about an issue, Padmaavat had become an issue.

So, career-wise, are you happy and secure?

I’ve got two releases in September; Batti Gul... and my baby (smiles). I hope I’m geared up. It’s the second baby for us, and this is my 32nd or 33rd film. It’s daunting because so much is happening.

You are in a unique position. Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan came before you and Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor came after you.

I’m like Ajay Devgn, who entered the industry in Phool Aur Kaante (1991) with his legs astride two motorcycles, doing the perfect split. So I’ve got one leg in the slightly older generation and other one with the slightly younger generation. I often wonder where do I go (laughs).

You’ve got a diverse range of subjects like the Arjun Reddy remake that is action-packed.

Yes. There’s also a sports biopic that I’ll be doing with Raja Krishna Menon (of Airlift and Chef fame).

Are you happy with the way things are going?

Yes, two significant developments are happening at this stage. One is the creative growth and the other is the reach. It’s important to balance that. I don’t want to do films that have a wide reach but don’t give me any creative satisfaction. I want to tell stories, discover myself as an actor and reach out to as wide an audience as possible. I don’t want to limit myself to any space. The idea is to find new characters to play and new stories to tell. BGMC could have been made offbeat like Haider, but when a film is so pure, it limits its reach. It’s something we wanted to take to a wider audience, because that’s what you need to do if you want cinema to grow in the right direction.

Mira told me you have to make it happen. In TEPK, the hero gets married to a cow because he’s so scared of his father. In BGMC, my character is a harami. I asked Shree if there could be thoda gaana, thoda dance.. and he was like ‘Yes, the character is enjoying himself’. Thoda masti and fun toh chahiye, sirf issue issue karenge toh film serious ho jayegi. This character plays it on the front foot. After a controlled and restrained Rawal Ratan Singh in Padmaavat, this is in your face, a badtameez kind of guy.

This sees you and Shraddha team up again, a tried-and-tested pair after Haider.

The good thing is that people saw us together and liked us. I hope we will be lucky the second time as well. This film gives us more scope than Haider because that had a different set of dynamics. Shraddha has a wonderful energy, we were comfortable and had fun doing the songs. Moreover, she is looking good in the film. She is playing an interesting character.

You told us how Mira asked you about the dialect when you’d practise your lines at home. What did she have to say about the trailer?

She loved the trailer. She had loved the script, too. She had read it before me as I was busy shooting. Later, she insisted that I go through it. She told me, ‘You’re a star, so maybe you don’t know. But I’m from Delhi and electricity is a big issue on that side. You have to do this film.’

Earlier, the movie was supposed to be set in a city. Later, even though it was set in a small town and the script was rewritten, the core idea remained the same. It was about a flawed guy who chooses to fight against electricity theft, high bills and privatisation. Electricity doesn’t reach places that need it the most like schools and hospitals. So, it’s a grassroot-level subject. Mira told me you have to make it happen.