Shahid Kapoor Sets the Record Straight: “My Career Was Never Built on My Father’s Name”

The actor reflects on his early struggles, growing up with a single mother, and why his Bollywood journey unfolds far from the label of nepotism.

Shahid Kapoor, now over twenty years into his Bollywood career, has once again clarified that his entry into films had nothing to do with his father, veteran actor Pankaj Kapur. Speaking on the Punjab First Voice podcast, Shahid said that people often assume he had an easy start, but the reality was very different.

He shared that his parents, Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azeem, separated when he was just three-and-a-half years old, and he was raised entirely by his mother. “People think I am an actor because I’m Pankaj Kapur’s son, but I barely spent time with him while growing up. No one even knew I was his son. I lived with my mother, I never used my father’s name, never asked him for help, and he never made calls to get me work,” Shahid explained.

He added that despite being too young to fully comprehend his parents’ divorce, he did grow up with a sense of emotional void — something many from separated families can relate to. Over the years, Shahid has openly credited his mother Neelima Azeem for raising him single-handedly and shaping his artistic foundation.

While many believe his debut was inevitable because of his family background, Shahid clarified that his journey began with small steps — from dancing in the background for film songs to appearing in commercials and music videos. It wasn’t a planned film launch but a chain of opportunities that “just fell into place,” as he described it. Pankaj Kapur himself has publicly acknowledged in the past that Shahid is “self-made” and that he contributed nothing more than his genes.

Today, Shahid is married to Mira Rajput Kapoor and is a proud father of two. He shared that he consciously avoids bringing work home. The moment he walks through the door, he switches effortlessly into being a husband, father, and son — a balance he considers essential for a grounded personal life.

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