Happy Birthday Shahid Kapoor! Here are the top 5 performances of our chocolate boy, ranked

Shahid Kapoor, the son of the veteran acting legend Pankaj Kapur, turned 43 today. Who would have thought, while binging on Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! on TV that the cherub-faced new hero would one day be a morally gray Bloody Daddy onscreen.

The actor’s career seems to have taken off after his marriage with Mira Rajput in 2015 as Shahid started venturing out of his typecast zone for better roles. If you admire the actor’s acting diversity, here are his top 5 performances, ranked.

Kabir Singh (2019)

Streaming on – Netflix

Shahid Kapoor plays the eponymous hero who has a controlling and possessive, albeit, passionate relationship with girlfriend Preeti. A brilliant but careless doctor, Kabir Singh is brash, arrogant, violent, and an escapist. Instances of his escapism and undesirable traits like drinking till blacking out, using cocaine, and filling up the house with expensive whiskey bottles to the brim to escape the pain of losing his girlfriend, are exceptionally portrayed by Shahid Kapoor. It is easy to play a likeable hero, but it takes skills to portray an undesirable, toxic man in an exciting light.

Rangoon (2017)

Streaming on – Jio Cinema

The stirring romantic war drama is set against the World War 2 backdrop, with India and INA struggling for India’s independence. The film showcases Shahid Kapoor as Jemadar Malik, a prisoner of war. The character is cynical, subtle, and dutiful with a decent character but battle-hardened and aggressive, and Kapoor plays it to the T.

Jab We Met (2007)

Streaming on – Prime Video, YouTube

In one of his earlier roles, Shahid Kapoor plays a heartbroken businessman, whose life changes overnight when he encounters a bubbly Punjabi girl Geet, (Kareena Kapoor) who helps him get over his life’s problems and learn to live life to the fullest. The film explores two layers of Kapoor’s character, one, a stoic, heartbroken, cynical businesswoman, and another, a charming, optimistic, jovial CEO who knows the perfect work-life balance, thanks to Geet’s lessons.

Also read: Jab We Met again! Kareena Kapoor Khan announces her romantic comedy’s theatrical re-release ahead of Valentine’s Day 

Padmaavat (2018)

Streaming on – Prime Video

Padmaavat sees Shahid Kapoor essay a royal role, as Maharaja Maharawal Ratan Singh of Mewar. If the actor’s kingly attire and soorma-laden eyes were not mesmerizing enough, then his fighting sequences, aristocratic and accurate dialogue delivery, as well as surprising chemistry with Deepika Padukone’s Rani Padmavati are sure to seal the deal for you. This film showcases Shahid Kapoor in a never-seen-before avatar that really works well for him.

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Haider (2014)

Streaming on – Netflix, Zee5

The film was career-changing for Shahid Kapoor as it made an international ripple with its ardent and appropriate adaptation of Hamlet, with Kapoor essaying the eponymous Hamlet/Haider. Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj and starring the exceptional likes of Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, and Irrfan Khan, the film sees Shahid Kapoor adopt a different and darker persona that hangs between uncertainty and oedipal instincts.

Also read: Hey there! Shahid Kapoor has gone back to his Haider days; check out his new cropped hairdo