For years, there have been rumours of a fallout between Shahid Kapoor and director Vishal Bhardwaj. Now, Vishal has stepped in to clear the air, revealing that his friends often joke that he deserves a National Award for working with Shahid, but they overlook the fact that he himself is a difficult person to work with.
Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj during the trailer launch of their upcoming film O Romeo in Mumbai on Wednesday. (PTI)Vishal reacts to tiff rumours
On Wednesday, Vishal attended the trailer launch of his upcoming film O Romeo, which is led by Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri, in Mumbai. It was at the event that the director took a swipe at the speculation surrounding the actor.
Vishal said, “Sorry but main ek baat bolna chahunga. Mujhe jhijhak aa rahi hai but main yeh kahani ke liye bolna chahunga ke mujhe ab tak 9 National Awards mile hain. Mere directors friends mujhe chedhte hain ke mujhe 10th wala milma chaiyeh ke tumne Shahid Kapoor ke saath 4 filmein ki hain (I’m hesitating to share this but I have to for the story. I’ve won nine National Awards so far. It may sound like I’m being arrogant about my achievements but this context is important. My director friends often joke with me that I should win my tenth National Award just for working with Shahid on four films).”
Vishal went on to praise Shahid for his ability to take directions from a “difficult” person like him.
The filmmaker continued, “Main kitna difficult aadmi hun woh Shahid janta hai. Woh mere passive aggression ko samjhta hai. I am a very difficult man to work with. I think Shahid ko ek National Award milna chaiyeh mere saath 4 filmein karne ke liye (But they don’t know how difficult a person I’m to work with. Only Shahid knows this. He understands my passive aggression. I think Shahid should win a National Award for working with me on four films).”
Reflecting on their much-talked-about clashes, Vishal acknowledged that creative disagreements do arise but stressed that they have been blown out of proportion over the years.
He said, “We also have many fights and those fights are known to the media more, but there aren’t that many fights between us. We’ve formed a bond between us like Laxmikant-Pyarelal, like Kalyanji-Anandji.”
Vishal gave Shahid one of his biggest hits with Kaminey in 2009. The duo followed it with another success in Haider (2014). They marked their hattrick with the 2017 film Rangoon.
About O Romeo
Inspired by real-life events, O’ Romeo is an action-thriller drama set against the gritty backdrop of Mumbai’s underworld. The film also stars Avinash Tiwary, Tamannaah Bhatia, Farida Jalal, Disha Patani, with Vikrant Massey in a special appearance. The movie is produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and will be released in theatres on February 13.