Shahid Kapoor Recalls He Wasn’t Sure About Playing A Drug-Addict In ‘Udta Punjab’: I Don’t Know What It Is To Be High

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor grabbed the headlines when he featured as Tommy Singh, a drug-addicted rockstar, in the film ‘Udta Punjab’. 

Now in a recent interview, the actor has opened up on how he was sceptical about playing Tommy because he has never tried alcohol or drugs in his entire life. 

In an interview with Pinkvilla, Shahid recalled how he asked the director Abhishek Chaubey, ‘Why did you offer me this role?’ He even told him, “Bro, maine life mai kabhi sharab nahi pi hai. Aaj tak nahi pi hai. Maine life kabhi koi substance nahi ki hai. I don’t know what it is to be high.” To which, Abhishek replied, at the time “But I think that as an actor, you can do this character, and I feel like if you put yourself to do it…”

Shahid further added, “I actually went through a lot of doubt because I knew my friends who drink will ask, ‘Why did you do it when you don’t know things?’ I thought I would be embarrassed, and it would be bad for me. But I loved the script and I loved the character. Then eventually I told myself, ‘If I can do this, which I cannot relate to at all, If I can pull this off, then I think I will be fearless for the rest of my life as an actor because this is as far away from my reality as it possibly can be.’”

Shahid Kapoor lastly mentioned how he feels that when you encounter something challenging, it’s an opportunity for growth, because it can push you to the next level. The actor added, “And also, it’s a great role. I mean, if somebody else does it really well, I’ll look back and be like, ‘What a fool I was to let go of this opportunity,’ because how many roles like this get written? Usually, it’s just these nice guys who are running and doing all this.”

Apart from Shahid Kapoor, the film also starred Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh in pivotal roles. The 2016 crime drama film was written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, co-written by Sudip Sharma.