‘Never believed I have it in me just because I come from a certain family,’ says Shashi Kapoor’s grandson Zahan Kapoor | Bollywood News

The latest Kapoor on the block wears the mantle of his surname lightly, brushes off talk about his legacy and says he was actually scared to step into the world of acting. Zahan Kapoor is clear he wants to carve out his own space and not just as Shashi Kapoor’s grandson.Zahan, who made a splash with his role in the web series Black Warrant could barely speak Hindi growing up. But you’d never know hearing him speak.
“I couldn’t speak Hindi when I was a child. I started learning it when I was 18-19 and started doing theatre. It was the time I started getting interested in acting,” the 33-year-old told PTI.
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“I believe language is a weapon for actors and I have a lot of interest in literature and poetry. I’m always reading something or the other. I read it in Devanagari . It enriches your imagination. It is also like riyaaz for me,” he said.
To get it just right, Zahan said he worked with a diction coach to learn the lilt of the Hindi dialect spoken in a middle-class Delhi family for “Black Warrant”.
His parents Kunal Kapoor and Sheena Sippy had told him he was on his own. In fact, the film genes came from both his parents with his maternal grandfather being “Sholay” director Ramesh Sippy. The fear factor was even more given his lineage.
“It was like a door that was there, but it was entirely up to me whether to open it and step inside. And even after that, I had to walk the path on my own. My parents told me that this journey demands hard work, so I have to figure it out myself,” he added.Story continues below this ad
Zahan made his movie debut with Hansal Mehta’s “Faraaz” in 2022. Then came the much acclaimed performance as former Tihar jailer Sunil Gupta in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Netflix series “Black Warrant” which premiered in January.

“I never believed I knew it all. And that’s why I was scared when I was getting into this field. I have tried to learn everything and that is an ongoing process,” he added.
“I realised that there are many dangers and I should trust myself more than others… Aur uske liye main prayaas karoon, abhyaas karoon aur jitna ho sake apne aap ko taiyyar karoon’ . I never believed, and this is part of my upbringing, that I have it in me and I can do it because I have a name or I come from a certain family or it is in my blood. I have genuinely worked hard for it.”
Nepotism is a much debated term in the Hindi film industry and Zahan, from arguably Hindi cinema’s most prominent family, has somehow been able to navigate these tough waters carefully without controversy.Story continues below this ad
“My mother is a photographer and my father is an ad filmmaker. He also runs a theatre company and we used to discuss theatre and performance a lot. We never discussed the past work, it was more about contemporary things. So I think that was the influence.”
The actor was deeply involved in Prithvi Theatre, which Shashi Kapoor built in the memory of his father, actor-theatre personality Prithviraj Kapoor.
He enjoyed participating in plays in school but it was just for fun at the time, Zahan said. Always interested in reading and writing, he wrote a short film and his father taught him about film production.
“I started assing in films, theatre and in advertising after junior college. I was really involved in craft and the filmmaking process during that time. I realised that I was on a film set and there was a reason for me to be there. I found it satisfying that I’m able to contribute to something which is bigger than me.”Story continues below this ad
His parents are a little more accepting towards his work than a regular family would be given the uncertain nature of the profession, Zahan said.
“I have a very supportive structure, even though there are still fights about what I should be doing.”
What are his memories of Shashi Kapoor, a huge commercial star who also had a successful parallel cinema career?
According to Zahan, his grandfather’s cinema and theatre legacy was a “beautiful garden with all kinds of flowers” and he has beautiful memories of spending time with him.Story continues below this ad
“I have not seen all of his films but I have seen ‘In Custody’, it is a beautiful movie. I think his influence is there somewhere even with my father. This thought process, the value system and his passions are my legacy, not fame and wealth,” he said.
He is happy “Black Warrant” has been received warmly and his work in it has been appreciated. Feedback, whether good or bad, helps an actor evolve, the actor said.
“I don’t think about the end result. If someone is thinking about where the film will go or what impact it will create, then I don’t know how to have that conversation. I am more about the process, the intention behind a story and the people I collaborate with.”
It is just a coincidence that both his projects were inspired true events Faraaz on the 2016 Holy Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka and Black Warrant on what transpired in and around Tihar Jail during Gupta’s tenure.Story continues below this ad
“I want to do everything. I love watching feel-good, commercial, big films as well as horical drama, period drama, even romantic films. When we talk about intimate stories in the independent filmmaking world, then we can emphasise those ideas. And I believe there is a place for every kind of story,” he said.
What’s next for him?
“I’m open, I’m looking and I’m trying to find something that is made with an honest intention. And the people attached with the project see it as a service to the story, even if it is entertainment.”
Zahan recently attended the second edition of the Cinevesture International Film Festival in Chandigarh.