“I Think I Am Destroying Myself…” – When Shahid Kapoor Opened Up About Heartbreak & Societal Pressure On Men
Shahid Kapoor once revealed how heartbreak left him in tears on set and spoke about the pressure men always face to be strong. His candid take on vulnerability and gender roles will leave you thinking.
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor is gearing up for his next release, ‘Deva,’ alongside Pooja Hegde, and is set to release in cinemas on January 31, 2025. Shahid Kapoor usually keeps his personal life private, but he once opened up about the emotional impact of heartbreak and the societal pressure on men.
In an interview with Faye D’souza, Shahid revealed an incident of heartbreak that left him in tears on the sets. When questioned whether he had ever “wept on a set,” Shahid replied, “That only happened to me when I went through a heartbreak. And, sometimes, it happens when you are making movies. So, I have had that. It wasn’t good. My makeup guy was like, ‘I just finished your makeup! Can you just not?” Sharing his emotional period at that time, he said, “I can’t help it; I think I am destroying myself.”
Shahid further talked about the gender roles in society and the societal pressure men face. “Indian men, especially, have been told from a very young age that you have to be a provider, that you have to protect and be the man of the family. It’s there in men when you are always worried that whatever I love, I must protect it. Sometimes, it can put a lot of pressure on you.
Sometimes, you want to relax and say, ‘I don’t have to keep worrying about everything and everybody. I can just maybe be vulnerable and let somebody else protect me.”
He then added, “Why can’t we flip roles sometimes? You can feel like that, and it’s fair to feel like that because, eventually, everybody is human. Many men find it difficult to express their vulnerable side, and I think because I am an actor, maybe I am comfortable because it’s a part of what I do. I have to be able to get to that vulnerable and expressive place. When you are an actor, you also understand that vulnerability is beautiful. Aggression cannot attract people the way vulnerability does. It’s only human to be vulnerable, so you should be okay with it as a man.”
For the unversed, Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor dated for three years and were one of the most loved couples in the industry back then. The duo met on the sets of Fida (2004) and parted ways during the Jab We Meet (2007) shoot. However, now they both have moved on in their lives. Shahid Kapoor is married to Meera Rajput, and they have two kids. Kareena Kapoor is married to Saif Ali Khan and is a proud parent to two sons.
