Shahid Kapoor, renowned for his exceptional acting career spanning over two decades, is equally celebrated for his dedication to family life and desire for normalcy beyond the glamour of the film industry. This pursuit of normalcy was a crucial factor in his connection with Mira Kapoor, whom he met through an arranged marriage setup nearly nine years ago.
Reflecting on this, Shahid shared in a throwback interview with Humans of Bombay, “She has a strong individual personality and she didn’t care that I was an actor.It wasn’t a major factor for her and I think that’s what I crave. I crave normalcy. Because I am always surrounded by people who first see me as a star, you want to have a normal personal life”.
Shahid’s decision to pursue an arranged marriage stemmed from his feelings of loneliness. He reflected on his solitary life, saying, “I was 33-34 and I was very lonely. I would win awards, come back home, and share them with my dog. I realised you need to share your life with somebody. I was single and happy, life was great, and I was independent. But, I was lonely so I wanted to have an immediate family”.
Despite his independence and success, Shahid sought someone who could understand both the spiritual and glamorous aspects of his life. “I was open to meeting someone I could settle down with”, Shahid noted. “My biggest concern was I have a very schizophrenic reality – one side is all spiritual, meditation, no alcohol, meditation, etc., and the other side is all about my acting and glamour. So, I thought the girl would understand only either of the two. That’s when I met Mira”.
Their age difference, with Mira being 14 years younger, initially made Shahid hesitant. He admitted, “When I met her, she was just 20 and I was 34. First of all, I thought she was too young. I was semi-embarrassed at that time. But once we started talking, she was very mature and very sure of herself”.
Now married for nearly eight years, Shahid views marriage as a journey akin to a test match, requiring patience and teamwork. “You go through so many different phases and you grow together”, he said. “Children happen and as we enter different phases, we will see each other and the relationship growing and evolving. You have to navigate it a little once in a while. You have to always be collaborative about the process. You will go through phases you don’t get each other and you will have to sit down and understand each other. Once you cross that phase, you are so much stronger”.
As a father of two, Shahid is understandably protective of his children, Misha and Zain, particularly given his public profile. “I feel I have always been a little reserved”, he explained. “I have always liked to keep it less than more when it comes to my personal space being viewed. While I understand it’s important for people to have a little perspective to get a sense of who I am, I have to be protective of it. I think, to some degree, people have been sensitive, especially when it comes to my children. The paps have been very sweet and have always obliged when I asked them to not click my children”.
Shahid is determined to give his children a normal upbringing, despite the inevitable challenges of their father’s fame. Shahid shared, “I want them to do normal things. They have just about discovered what I do. So I am kinda scared about how this will pan out. Because I have seen kids who are just not able to deal with it so I am scared about it. I spend as much time as I can with them. I can’t help myself as they are very addictive. They are also very persuasive and manipulative; they get what they want. I get manipulated by them and I love being manipulated by them”.
Reflecting on this, Shahid shared in a throwback interview with Humans of Bombay, “She has a strong individual personality and she didn’t care that I was an actor.It wasn’t a major factor for her and I think that’s what I crave. I crave normalcy. Because I am always surrounded by people who first see me as a star, you want to have a normal personal life”.
Shahid’s decision to pursue an arranged marriage stemmed from his feelings of loneliness. He reflected on his solitary life, saying, “I was 33-34 and I was very lonely. I would win awards, come back home, and share them with my dog. I realised you need to share your life with somebody. I was single and happy, life was great, and I was independent. But, I was lonely so I wanted to have an immediate family”.
Despite his independence and success, Shahid sought someone who could understand both the spiritual and glamorous aspects of his life. “I was open to meeting someone I could settle down with”, Shahid noted. “My biggest concern was I have a very schizophrenic reality – one side is all spiritual, meditation, no alcohol, meditation, etc., and the other side is all about my acting and glamour. So, I thought the girl would understand only either of the two. That’s when I met Mira”.
Their age difference, with Mira being 14 years younger, initially made Shahid hesitant. He admitted, “When I met her, she was just 20 and I was 34. First of all, I thought she was too young. I was semi-embarrassed at that time. But once we started talking, she was very mature and very sure of herself”.
Now married for nearly eight years, Shahid views marriage as a journey akin to a test match, requiring patience and teamwork. “You go through so many different phases and you grow together”, he said. “Children happen and as we enter different phases, we will see each other and the relationship growing and evolving. You have to navigate it a little once in a while. You have to always be collaborative about the process. You will go through phases you don’t get each other and you will have to sit down and understand each other. Once you cross that phase, you are so much stronger”.
As a father of two, Shahid is understandably protective of his children, Misha and Zain, particularly given his public profile. “I feel I have always been a little reserved”, he explained. “I have always liked to keep it less than more when it comes to my personal space being viewed. While I understand it’s important for people to have a little perspective to get a sense of who I am, I have to be protective of it. I think, to some degree, people have been sensitive, especially when it comes to my children. The paps have been very sweet and have always obliged when I asked them to not click my children”.
Shahid is determined to give his children a normal upbringing, despite the inevitable challenges of their father’s fame. Shahid shared, “I want them to do normal things. They have just about discovered what I do. So I am kinda scared about how this will pan out. Because I have seen kids who are just not able to deal with it so I am scared about it. I spend as much time as I can with them. I can’t help myself as they are very addictive. They are also very persuasive and manipulative; they get what they want. I get manipulated by them and I love being manipulated by them”.
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