Despite two misfires last year, Shraddha Kapoor is very much in demand. Shooting for Sujeeth Reddy’s ambitious project Saaho with Prabhas, Shraddha says, “Being a big Prabhas fan, I am so thrilled to have got this opportunity to work with him. It has been a wonderful experience to work with Prabhas, the big Baahubali star. He is tremendously grounded; I find him very jovial and easy going. Another likeable quality about him is that he is very approachable. It has also been an interesting experience to work with Sujeeth as well.”
Speaking about the bilingual project, the actress, in a select media interaction, says she has to speak both Hindi and Telugu while shooting for Saaho . “It is very interesting as we are doing one shot twice – one in Hindi and the other in Telugu. I have never done anything like this before. I have started enjoying speaking in Telugu. Soon I will be leaving for Abu Dhabi for the next round of shoot.”
Shraddha got critical acclaim with Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider . And she is thrilled to now re-unite with Shahid Kapoor in Batti Gul Meter Chalu. “I would like to describe it as a social drama. And I am mighty excited to be working with Shahid again. He is so talented, versatile and as a co-actor very cooperative. We have known each other for quite sometime and have become friends now.”
Draped in a turmeric, embroidered lehenga teamed with a gleaming dupatta, Shraddha shares that after Batti Gul Meter Chalu, she will move on to the much anticipated biopic on Saina Nehwal. “To prepare for the role, I have I have already met P. Gopichand, Saina’s coach. However, I have not been privileged to be coached by him.”
Unlike actors of her generation, Shraddha steers clear of social media. “I live in a bubble of my own that when some of my friends ask me to give them Bollywood gossips, I tell them that I am the last person for that because I am so connected with what I am doing. Even if I amtrolled, I do not take them seriously. I do not want to waste my creative energies on these trivial things as my priority is my career.”
‘A special journey’
Recounting her journey , Shraddha says: “It has been a special journey with lots of love coming my way from the audience. And yes, I have put in lot of sweat and hard work to get her. My parents told me to follow my heart. And this is precisely what I have done till now.”
Doing diverse films like Ashiqui 2 and Haidar , Shraddha likes to show her mettle in both blockbusters as well as critically acclaimed films. “Each film project that I take up holds a special place in my heart. Every film I have done till date has been a milestone.”
On the issue of casting couch, which is in news again after veteran choreographer Saroj Khan made some controversial comments , the actress, without batting an eyelid, says: “I feel this is an age old debate. It is something that has been spoken about before like nepotism. Being actors, our profession is in the limelight and we are always under scrutiny. But it is not the only profession where casting couch exists. Personally, I have never encountered anything of this sort.”
Since her father Shakti Kapoor hails from Delhi, Shraddha often visits the city. “Delhi is my second home. I have had so many fond memories of this place. My childhood was spent in Karol Bagh and Rajinder Nagar growing with my dadaji and dadiji. I have memories of celebrating Diwali and Raksha Bandhan. My cousins live in this city and we also have a house of our own here. Now that I do not come that often, I miss coming here.”
