Shahid Kapoor is a Bollywood actor, dancer and model. Starting off his career by working in music videos and ads, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal (1999). After four years, he made his debut as a leading actor in Ishq Vishk (2003) and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance. Following through with critically acclaimed performances in films like Fida (2004) and Shikhar (2005), he had his first commercial success with Sooraj R. Barjatya's Vivah (2006), his biggest commercial success so far, and later continued it with Jab We Met (2007). Since then, he has established himself as one of the most promising actors of the industry.
Before starting off his career as an actor, Kapoor worked in several music videos and ads, including the Pepsi commercial with Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji post Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). While doing so, he decided to join the Shiamak Davar Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA), where he was later seen in Subhash Ghai's film Taal (1999) as a background dancer in the song Kahiin Aag Lage Lag Jawe along with actress Aishwarya Rai.
In 2003, Kapoor played his first leading role as Rajiv Mathur, a carefree young man in Ken Ghosh's moderately successful love story Ishq Vishk. Appearing opposite Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala, the film was well received by critics and Kapoor's performance earned him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. He has all the qualities to hit the top slot. Not only is he good looking, but he is an amazing performer as well. Very original as a perormer [sic], the youngster has handled the dramatic and emotional moments with flourish. He is an exceptional dancer as well. All he needs to do is pick and choose his forthcoming assignments with care, so that the journey to the top slot is minus hiccups."
The following year, Kapoor collaborated once again with director Ken Ghosh in the thriller Fida, where he co-starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Fardeen Khan. The film failed to do well at the box office, yet Kapoor's performance was praised. He then appeared in the romantic comedy Dil Maange More opposite Soha Ali Khan, Tulip Joshi, and Ayesha Takia. Featuring in three more films in 2005, success continued to elude Kapoor. However, his performance as Jaidev Vardhan, a man who is sucked into the world of money and greed in John M. Matthan's drama Shikhar was critically acclaimed, earning Kapoor his first Star Screen Award for Best Actor nomination.
Shahid shares a great bond with his step brother Ishaan and lives in the same building as his dad. Despite being so young, the actor has managed to make a place for himself in Bollywood and this chocolaty hero is maturing as an actor with every movie
In 2006, Kapoor received his first box office success since his debut with the multi-starrer, 36 China Town. Revolving around the story of seven individuals and a murder, the film became a moderate success despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. Shortly after the release of the film, Kapoor's second release of the year, Priyadarshan's comedy Chup Chup Ke released; the film became a moderate success at the box office.
Kapoor's final release of 2006 was Sooraj R. Barjatya's romantic drama Vivah, a film depicting the journey of two individuals from engagement to marriage. Co-starring alongside Amrita Rao, the film was received favourably by most critics and became one of the highest grossing films of the year as well as Kapoor's biggest commercial success to date. Kapoor's performance was appreciated with audiences and critics alike, earning him his second consecutive nomination for Best Actor at the Star Screen Awards. Taran Adarsh wrote, "Shahid Kapoor performs like never before. If he was super-cool in Ishq Vishk and showed flashes of brilliance in Fida, you've to watch him in Vivah to see his growth as a tremendous actor. He is exceptional in emotional sequences."
During the summer of 2006, Kapoor embarked on his first world tour, the Rockstars Concert, along with Bollywood stars, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, John Abraham, Esha Deol, Mallika Sherawat and Zayed Khan.
In 2007, Kapoor appeared in two movies. His first release was Ahmed Khan's Fool and Final. The film received negative reviews and didn't do well at the box office; Kapoor's performance was not well received. His next release, Imtiaz Ali's comedy-romance Jab We Met opposite Kareena Kapoor, became one of the biggest hits of the year. The film tells the story of two people with contrasting personalities meeting each other on a train and how they fall in love eventually. Kapoor starred as Aditya Kashyap, a dejected young industrialist full of angst and despair. The film was highly praised by critics and was generally lauded for the chemistry between the two leads.
Kapoor's performance was also praised, earning him several nominations for Best Actor at a number of award ceremonies, including Filmfare. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN noted, "Despite the risk of being overshadowed by Kareena, her co-star in the film, Shahid Kapur, leaves an indelible impression with a performance that is understated and mature, and indeed the perfect foil to Kareena's boisterousness. Together, they set off such sparks, that the strength of their chemistry alone is enough to make up for several inconsistencies in the screenplay."
Aziz Mirza's Kismat Konnection opposite Vidya Balan was Kapoor's only release in 2008; the film performed moderately well at the box office. As of September 2008, Kapoor has finished working on Ahmed Khan's Paathshala.
Born to actor Pankaj Kapoor and actor/classical dancer Neelima Azeem, Kapoor's parents divorced when he was three. After the divorce of his parents, he usually lived with his mother whilst he also shared a good relationship with his father and stepmother Supriya Pathak. He studied in Rajhans Vidyalaya, Mumbai. Kapoor, who is a vegetarian, also has a sister named Sana and a brother named Ishaan Kapoor; his brother acted with him in the movie Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi (2005). His maternal grandfather was Anwar Azeem, a noted Marxist journalist and author from Bihar.