Could Shahid Kapoor become a Bollywood legend to rival the Khans and Kumars? On his 40th birthday we look back at the actor’s remarkable rise from music videos to Kabir Singh

It’s taken Shahid Kapoor some 20 years and several bumps on the road to reach an exalted position in Bollywood. The now certified A-list actor – who turned 40 this week – Kapoor has proved time and again his capabilities as an actor and dancer, but when Kabir Singh was released in the summer of 2019, no one anticipated its mega box office success. A genuine Bollywood blockbuster, it has made over 3.8 billion rupees (US$52 million) and turned Kapoor into a superstar. You won’t believe how much Mukesh Ambani spends on private security A controversial film that’s so unlike the typical boy-meets-girl musical romcom narrative than dominates Bollywood, its flawed characters, mature themes and the lack of the usual song and dance routines makes it stand out as a harbinger of change in an industry desperately needing some. Kapoor has collected several awards View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) A decorated actor with an impressive set of trophies, Kapoor has finally confirmed a place in the pantheon among the Khans and Kumars, after being in the industry for decades and having survived fluctuating box office results in a career spanning more than 30 films. In 20167 he won best actor at the International Indian Film Academy Awards for his role as a reformed drug addict rocker in Udta Punjab. Bollywoods’ biggest and best stories of 2020 Teenage Kapoor was a dancer with Shiamak Davar’s troupe View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) From a child actor in commercials, to a scrawny teen in music videos, then a background dancer in Bollywood movies – the rise of the now-married father-of-two has been slow. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas and other celebs with younger partners Kapoor appeared as a teen actor in a 1999 music video Though he was son of renowned actor Pankaj Kapur and his first wife Neelima Azeem (an exquisite kathak dancer and sometime actress), Kapoor started in Bollywood at the bottom. He didn’t have a billionaire father or godfather producing films for him, but he caught the eye of noted film producer Ramesh Taurani, who saw the expressive young teen in a music video and in commercials on Indian television. 5 Bollywood actors who should have said no to brownface Kapoor appeared in a commercial with Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Kapoor was cast as the lead in a teen romcom Ishq Vishk back in 2003 when he had just turned 21. Having started with this moderate success at the box office, in the following decade, Kapoor’s standing was confoundingly erratic, his career spluttering on with moderate successes and flops. Sadly, Kapoor was deprived of due credit even in his most memorable films; Jab We Met (When We Met) was a major success, but the leading lady Kareena Kapoor (no relation) grabbed all the hosannas and best actress awards. Padmaavat was the biggest hit of 2018, but the success was credited to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the title role filled by the barrier-busting Deepika Padukone. Who wore it best? Bollywood queens flaunt their crown jewels Kapoor tonsured his head for Haider View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) He did win major and recognition awards for Haider – an Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet no less – but the critically acclaimed film didn’t break the top ten box-office chart. Legend has it, Kapoor also took a significant pay cut to work with the auteur director Vishal Bhardwaj. Happily, Kabir Singh has finally brought Kapoor to the forefront of fame in a way no other movie in his career could. That’s helped make sure that a dozen of his films are now streaming on Netflix – the streaming platform having taken note of his popularity and signing the actor on for upcoming projects in a deal reported to be worth US$13 million. Little princess: Prithvi Akash Ambani starts life with wealth and friends in high places Shahid Kapoor’s next film, Jersey, is scheduled for worldwide release in November View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) After much delay (the pandemic having shut all cinemas across India) it’s finally been announced that his highly anticipated cricket-based film Jersey will finally see the light of day with a 2021 Diwali 2021 in early November slated. Shahid Kapoor as lead dancer in the film Chance Pe Dance Until then, you can view nearly 100 music videos featuring Kapoor on YouTube and all his major films on streaming platforms from Netflix to Amazon Prime and even Disney. Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.