6 memorable characters played by Shahid Kapoor

From being an uncredited background dancer to one of the most talented and versatile young actors of Bollywood, Shahid Kapoor has surely come a long way. In a career spanning over 14 years, the 36-year-old Rangoon actor has shown a lot of variety in his roles and movies. Shahid has not only played the quintessential romantic hero, but has also been unafraid to experiment with edgy and dark characters, and he is only getting stronger and better with age.

On the occasion of his 36th birthday, we decided to revisit some of his memorable characters that have left a solid impression on us. Take a look…

Shahid Kapoor after being rejected 100 times finally started off as a chocolate boy in his debut film Ishq Vishq. Though a bit unpolished, Shahid won hearts as the popular college kid – Rajiv Mathur. His romantic avatar complemented by his innocent looks made Rajiv an instant hit among teen girls. Rajiv helped Shahid establish himself as the next romantic hero of Bollywood after Shah Rukh Khan.

Prem is a moniker that one usually associates with Salman Khan, but for a change we fell in love with Shahid Kapoor as Prem in Rajshree’s Vivah. He was not only the Mr. Right that every girl desired but the simplicity with which Shahid portrayed the character, etched Prem in the minds of all Hindi film lovers.

Shahid Kapoor made an impact like never before as the business tycoon — Aditya D Kashyap in Jab We Met. Shahid unveiled the heart broken Aditya in such a way that our heart went out to him. He flawlessly portrayed Aditya’s journey from being a serious, heart-broken and confused guy to a focused, happy and successful man after he encounters love once again. Shahid surely made this character memorable for everyone.

In 2009, director Vishal Bhardwaj unleashed an all new side to Shahid Kapoor with Kaminey. Shahid played one of the most challenging roles of twin brothers Charlie and Guddu and showed us that he can do a lot more than being a lover boy.

Teamed with Vishal Bhardwaj, Shahid gave one of his career best performance in the desi adaptation of Hamlet – Haider. Be it the angst, vulnerability or the aggression, Shahid did complete justice to each and every emotion of his character and brought to life one of the most challenging heroes of Shakespeare on the Indian screen. One can actually see his sincerity and precision in each frame. Hands down, this one is undoubtedly his finest performance till date.

With every passing year, Shahid has become fearless in his choices and given us one brilliant character after the other. The cocaine addict, fading superstar -- Tommy Singh, from Udta Punjab is one of them. Shahid’s performance in this film is brilliant and as an audience you just can’t help but fall for Tommy’s quirkiness.