‘I’m a romantic person in real life’

Defining 90’s glam, popular Brit pop band The Spice Girls were the toast and envy of fashionistas all over. Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice’s style statement impressed our desi diva Shraddha Kapoor so much as a teenager that she emulated Geri’s hairstyle and painted her mane red. “Ginger Spice’s liveliness, her outrageous outfits, her articulation and her ability to rock on stage are some of the things I really admired as a teenager. I even painted my long locks with flaming red streaks and flaunted it with great style for quite a long time,” quips the actress. The actress, who shot to fame with Aashiqui 2, claims to be a romantic person in real life as well. “I am a very optimistic and romantic person in real life and my idea of romance revolves around everything I’ve grown up watching in our cinema. My all-time favourite romantic movie would be Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa. In Aashiqui 2, my role had shades that came close to Waheeda Rehmanji’s role in Pyaasa. Among Hollywood films, Titanic and The Notebook are my all-time favourites.” Sharing about her equation with her brother Siddhant Kapoor (who made his debut with Shootout at Wadala) she says, “He watches my movies and gives me suggestions, at times fights with me, teases me, but at the end of the day he is a loving brother.” Coming from a filmi background, Shraddha was always inclined towards cinema. “My dad (Shakti Kapoor) and my maasi (Padmini Kolhapure) have always been an inspiration and a pillar of support. I used to accompany them during their film shoots and learnt so many things on sets.” Since most of the family members are a part of the entertainment industry, which is infamous for its hectic schedules, what binds the family together “We converse a lot about films, which is the general topic and ambience at home. Ours is a close-knit family, and we try to catch up for important festivals and occasions.” As a child, Shraddha had taken music lessons, as she was very fond of singing and incidentally, in Aashiqui 2 she played the role of a singer. “Enacting the role of a singer came naturally to me. I would like to playback for the characters I play in my films,” expresses Kapoor, who was present in the capital to support a campaign by P&G professional’s brand Wella Professionals. When quizzed if she has any set age-limit for her co-stars, Shraddha promptly says, “I am a newcomer and have no such set patterns. Though I feel it would be a great learning experience to share the screen space with the Khans, whom I have grown up idolising.” According to media reports, the actress is all set for her first item number in Rensil D’Silva’s film Ungli. Apart from this, she has also been roped in for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean triology Haider, an Indian adaptation of Hamlet. Although she was tight-lipped about her upcoming projects, she concludes, “I am also a trained classical singer and have learnt several dance forms. I am open to doing special numbers in films, if filmed in a right manner.”