Call Shahid Kapoor "Cute' At Your Peril. "I Hate It," He Reveals

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who at present is garnering a lot of praise for his exceptional performance in Amazon Prime web series Farzi, has revealed why he always hated being called "cute". In a chat with Pinkvilla, the actor and father of two, whose acting career spans over two decades, said that being typecast into boy-next-door roles is something that he finds very limiting. "I always hate it when people called me cute. I hate that word, Vanilla. You know, I used to hate it when people say 'Oh you are cute'. I hate it. I was like 'Why would you say that to anybody.' I never liked that word. I have learned to be graceful and accept it now, that people throw it at me. But I just felt that it is very limiting," Shahid explained.

Shahid Kapoor made his debut with Ishq Vishk in the early 2000s. In the film, which was a romantic comedy, Shahid played the role of a college student and was almost instantly labelled "cute" by his fans. In the years that followed, the actor took up movies like Vivaah, 36 China Town, Chup Chup Ke among others which further strengthened the tag until the actor signed up for Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey.

The actor, who has always been a treat to watch in anti-hero roles like that in Kaminey and Haider, is now being loved for playing the flawed artist Sunny with a personal angst, in Farzi. On being asked about his experience on portraying a grey character, the actor told Pinkvilla, "I am attracted to unconventional characters. You have to be an artist, which is what Farzi is all about. So, I think some of my personal angst is attached to Sunny in Farzi. And I wanted to express myself, you know. I wanted people to see my soul, to understand my emotions, to experience my mind, and not just stay busy with what is outside. That's important, it matters,"

Last month, the Jab We Met actor shared on Instagram the wonderful news of Farzi featuring in “top Amazon TV shows online”. The ranking was based on “overall online engagement on Monday, February 20.” For the caption, Shahid wrote, “And then this happened. #Farzi number 1 worldwide on Prime Video #micdrop”. Shahid's biggest cheerleader, wife Mira Rajput was among the first to drop a comment under the post. She wrote, “Congratulations [red hearts] Farzi on [fire] You [Shahid] deserve the world and more.” Shahid's mother, veteran actress Neliima Azeem wrote, “Congratulations to you and the whole team. Great job.” She said, “My heart is full and brimming with joy…Much deserved.” She has also added red hearts and raising hands emojis to her comments. Actress Sanjana Sanghi wrote, “Well deserved and beyond [fire emoji].” Shahid's Farzi co-star Bhuvan Arora too dropped a note under the post.  He wrote, “La la la la la la la... Sab Farzi.” The other shows in the top four are - Carnival Row, The Boys and Clarkson's Farm.

Farzi, which released on February 10, featured Vijay Sethupathi and Raashii Khanna in crucial roles. The Raj & DK series also starred Kay Kay Menon,  Amol Palekar, Kubbra Sait,  Zakir Hussain and Jaswant Singh Dalal. Farzi marked Shahid Kapoor's OTT debut. He played the role of Sunny, an artist who pushes himself into a life of crime.  

On the day of Farzi's premiere, Shahid Kapoor shared a montage from the event and wrote, “That's all you get to see here…Show toh Prime Video par hi dekhna padega…Farzi now streaming.”

Shahid Kapoor was last seen in Jersey. The film also featured Mrunal Thakur and veteran actor Pankaj Kapur.