Pankaj Kapur and Shahid Kapoor are one of the coolest father-son duos in Bollywood. They share a concrete bond with each other. Over the years, we have seen Pankaj and Shahid laud each other for the role they play in one another's lives. Not only this, they're also one of the few real-life father-son duos, who have worked together in films.
Shahid Kapoor and Pankaj Kapur worked together for the first time in Mausam back in 2011. Pankaj directed the film, and his son Shahid played the lead opposite Sonam Kapoor Ahuja. After Mausam, Pankaj and Shahid joined hands again for the film, Shaandaar in 2015. In the film, Pankaj portrayed the character of Shahid's father-in-law, and their fun-filled chemistry was one of the major highlights of the film.
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The third film in which they appeared together was the 2022 film, Jersey. During the shooting of Jersey, the film's director, Vikas Bahl even told Shahid that he needed to pull up his socks, otherwise his father would overshadow him on the screen. It is fair to say that whenever Pankaj and Shahid appear together in a film, the audience is set for an acting masterclass, such is the level of their acting skills.
It was back in 2019 when Pankaj Kapur talked about his son, Shahid Kapoor, in a candid conversation with the Hindustan Times. The doting father praised his son's acting skills, which was quite rare as the former always shies away from lauding his son in public. Coming back to Pankaj Kapur's compliment to Shahid, the former called him one of the best actors of his generation. The proud daddy also mentioned Shahid's three films, Haider, Kabir Singh, and Padmaavat, in which he proved the mettle of his acting skills. He said:
"I must also say, not because I am an indulgent father but he is his own generation's one of the best actors and he has proved it with films like Haider, Kabir Singh and Padmaavat."
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Everything is beyond perfect between Pankaj Kapur and Shahid Kapoor at the moment. However, not everyone is aware of the fact that things have not been like this from the beginning. There was a point in time when Pankaj left Shahid and his mother, Neliima Azeem, all by themselves. The father-son duo had a tense bond, but as time passed, they mended their ways and came close. Today, we are going to go back in time to take a look at Shahid and Pankaj's bond, which had the sourest beginning.
For the uninitiated, Pankaj Kapur and Neliima Azeem met for the first time when they were students at the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD). The youngsters fell in love with each other due to their shared passion for art, acting and creativity. After dating each other for a while, Pankaj and Neliima got married in 1975, when he was just 21 years old and she was 16. After a period of six years, the much-in-love couple welcomed their first son, Shahid Kapoor, on February 25, 1981.
After embracing parenthood, cracks started appearing in Pankaj Kapur and Neliima Azeem's married life due to a series of irreconcilable issues. Unfortunately, the couple parted ways after the court granted them divorce in 1984, when their son, Shahid Kapoor was just three-and-a-half years old. Just four years after parting ways with Neliima, Pankaj got married to Supriya Pathak, whom he met in 1986 on the sets of the film, Naya Mausam. As per reports, Pankaj and Supriya's marriage upset his young son, Shahid, who was unable to understand the dynamics back then.
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On one side, Pankaj Kapur got married to Supriya Pathak, and they welcomed two kids, Sanaah and Ruhaan. On the other side, Neliima Azeem also tied the knot with Rajesh Khatter in 1990. The couple welcomed a son, Ishaan Khatter, in 1995. However, Neliima and Rajesh parted ways in 2001. Amidst all of this, Shahid Kapoor and Pankaj Kapur were reportedly having a soured relationship.
As per a report in the Indian Express, Shahid and Pankaj used to meet once a year until the former turned 10. There was no stable connection between the father-son duo for a period of nine years, which made their relationship a bit complex. However, things started getting better when Shahid shifted to Mumbai with his mother, Neliima, at the age of 10, as he began to meet Pankaj Kapur more frequently.
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Once, in an old interview with a news portal, Shahid Kapoor revealed that during his struggling days in Mumbai, he kept his father, Pankaj Kapur's identity a secret. The actor revealed that he wanted to get into Bollywood without his father's help. Not only this, Shahid also wanted to respect the fact that his mother, Neliima Azeem raised him single-handedly, which was why he never told anyone that Pankaj Kapur was his father. The actor struggled like an outsider for some time but soon made his way into the film industry. Shahid made his acting debut in Bollywood with the film, Ishq Vishk in 2003.
In a candid conversation with Mid-Day, Shahid Kapoor recalled a traumatic experience that happened when he went out for brunch with his father, Pankaj Kapur. The actor revealed that he was having a pizza with his father when some fans crowded them. However, due to his father's reserved nature, they ran from that place. It was a traumatic experience for Shahid as a kid, and the actor titled it as a 'pathetic experience' in his interview. Recalling the same, he said:
"My dad is a very reserved person. He is a serious actor and he takes his acting very seriously even when he is doing comedy. He was like, ‘Ye kya kar rahe hain aap, main apne bete ke saath pizza kha raha hun’. (What are you guys doing? I am eating a pizza with my son here). And we had to run away from there. He held my hand and just said, 'Beta, let's run.' I remember I was like, 'This is pathetic'."
We love how Pankaj Kapur and Shahid Kapoor have mended their ways and are now leading a concrete bond. What do you think about their bond? Let us know.
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