Shahid : I was the first to suggest that Kareena was perfect for ‘Udta Punjab’

Their last release together ‘Jab We Met’ was back in 2007, when they had just broken up. Eight years later, former lovebirds Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor are set to share screen space in Abhishek Chaubey’s ‘Udta Punjab’. Or maybe not, as the two are said not to be sharing any single frame in the crime caper.

The ‘Haider’ star is unfazed by the casting or screen space. “As an actor you have to find 20 different ways of answering the same questions,” he says exasperatedly when asked about Kareena. In an interview published in Times Of India, Shahid says, “I was the first to suggest that Kareena was perfect for this role. I respect her as an actress. I’m happy she is living a good life. So am I.”

Shahid Kapoor is indeed living a good life, as he is on an award winning spree after delivering a power packed performace in ‘Haider’. He is quite excited about his upcoming projects as well. “Abhishek wasn’t looking to cast any stars but after seeing the Haider promos, they probably thought I might agree to do ‘Udta Punjab’ though I was apologetically told it was nothing like anything I’d done before. That was a lure. As soon as I heard the narration, I told Abhishek that he wasn’t going to anyone else and got the biggest hug from Anurag Kashyap,” Shahid reminisces.

Incidentally, Shahid is paired opposite Alia Bhatt in ‘Udta Punjab’, with who he has worked in the yet-to-release Vikas Bahl’s ‘Shaandaar’ too. Talking about the young actress, he says, “Alia is the most talented person I’ve met in my life. She’s quickly become a good friend despite being much younger than me. I hope people understand and respect this and not try to misconstrue it.”

For now, Shahid had his kitty full of movies, as after ‘Shaandaar’ and ‘Udta Punjab’, the actor would start working on Reema Kagti’s ‘Mr Chaalu’ and the remake of ‘Magadheera’.