Black Warrant actor Zahan Kapoor talks about the expectations and responsibilities that come with the privilege of being Shashi Kapoor’s grandson
Privilege is a word he uses liberally but not by way of self-gloating. Till the other day he could have been just another member of the illustrious Kapoor khaandan. Today, courtesy his stellar part in Black Warrant, Zahan Kapoor is a cynosure of many eyes, enjoying both attention and adulation.
Indeed, the young actor in Chandigarh for the Cinevesture International Film Festival, who stayed away from limelight in his formative years, is savouring this moment. And not merely because he has earned fulsome praise for etching the lead role of Sunil Gupta with conviction but also that every aspect of the Vikramaditya Motwane series is exceptionally well made. In his words, “Motwane is a meticulous director with astute understanding of every aspect of filmmaking. He empowers and steers those who work with him and enables the process of collaboration.”
For Zahan, the greater sense of pride also is that he met him after auditions and not as somebody looking for work. Since many viewers too saw the actor in him first and realised who he is much later, he believes in letting his work speak for itself.
Interestingly, Black Warrant is not where he cut his acting teeth. Just before the much acclaimed Netflix series brought him on centrestage, he was part of Hansal Mehta’s film Faraaz. In 2019, he had the privilege of working on stage with maverick theatre person Makarand Deshpande. In between there has been a short film, yet another play, Siachen, and an Amazon series, Bandwaale, to be released soon.
One could easily argue acting/filmmaking races in his blood. If you think he owes his talent to his privileged parental surname alone, let you be reminded, this grandson of Shashi Kapoor also has another very strong filmy family connection. The Sholay fame Ramesh Sippy happens to be his maternal grandfather. Double bonanza which could easily have been a double whammy too; only his parents, actor and ad filmmaker Kunal Kapoor and photographer Sheena Sippy, ensured he did not grow under the shadow of the remarkable lineage he was born with.
He observes, “From the outside, the privilege might seem rather strong but it comes with the weight of expectations and responsibilities. I was afraid of not being able to live up to it. So, I worked hard to earn it.” Indeed, love for theatre must have passed on from his grandmother Jeniffer Kendal too whom he never met since she passed away before he was born.
With so many stalwarts in the family, perhaps he didn’t need to look outside for role models. Yet, he admires so many more like Aamir Khan and his vast body of work. He adds, “Even though several films of his like Dangal, 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti fall in the mainstream space, these are so very authentic.”
Authenticity and honesty in cinema is exactly what he is aiming at. Like his grandfather, whose vast range, from commercial fanfare to international movies to championing independent cinema with his own productions, he singles out (more than any particular film), he would like to try out all genres. Typical lover-boy…why not? And this polo player would simply love to ride horses on screen. Post the success of Black Warrant, he claims he has not signed anything on the dotted line as yet. Self-effacingly he says, “People have begun to notice my work and considering me a possible option.” Equally heartening is how the extended family, cousins like heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor have reacted to his performance. If Ranbir was blown away by how he nailed his jailer act, Alia Bhatt exclaimed to have been ‘star struck,’ all effusive compliments he takes with a pinch of salt. Whether we will see him sharing screen space with them anytime soon, he is keener to share his work and learn valuable lessons from them. To those, who see only stardom in his superstar cousins, he reminds what Hansal Mehta had to say about Kareena Kapoor’s work ethic. As to how she is a thorough actor who comes to the sets remarkably well prepared. Zahan says, “Stardom is only a by-product. There is so much rigueur involved in acting.” He too gives it all. Why he even made scene by scene notes for Black Warrant.
With grounding in theatre, he promises he will always be closely associated with family heirloom Prithvi theatre, started by Shashi and Jennifer, which has since nurtured both theatre and talent. After all it was on stage he learnt to be ‘present in the moment’ and theatre taught him to ‘rehearse, rehearse, rehearse yet surprise yourself’. Interestingly, he is not astonished when people sense an uncanny resemblance with his handsome grandfather Shashi, especially the twinkle in the eyes and oh-so-endearing smile. Only he says, “It’s more like people sharing their love for him, remembering him and the deep impact he had.” Chip of the Kapoor block he might be but with a mind and identity very much his own. With talent to match…look out for more from him who wants to be at the service of storytelling more than anything else.
