Shahid Kapoor to play Muslim character in Kunal Kohli’s next

By Subhash K. Jha -

June 10, 2011 - 2:58 AM IST

For the first time in his career, Shahid Kapoor is playing a Muslim character in Kunal Kohli's film. It's a character named Javed, who is supposed to be from an educated cultured progressive and pragmatic Muslim family.

Shahid Kapoor to play Muslim character in Kunal Kohli’s next

And who better equipped to give Shahid tips on Islamic genteelness than his mother Neelima Azim?

Having imbibed infinite wisdom in acting from his father, the distinguished Pankaj Kapoor, Shahid is gravitating towards his talented mother for advice.

Says a source, "Shahid has been largely influenced by his father in his growing up years and has often sought his father's advice on how to approach roles. Now when he's playing a Muslim for the first time, it's time for him to seek inspiration from his mother's side of the family."

Shahid had spent his childhood in a flat in Delhi with his mother where he would often be visited by his Nanaji (maternal grandfather) Anwar Azim, a renowned author and thinker.

Says a source close to Shahid, "Shahid wants to tap into the intellectual reservoir in his mother's family. He wants to play Javed as a serious-minded progressive Muslim youth, like Naseeruddin Shah in Sagar Sarhadi's Bazaar. The best part of this role in Kunal Kohli's film is that Shahid gets to re-visit his mother's cultured and educated family that was such an integral part of his childhood."

Both Shahid and Kunal Kohli refrained from commenting on the role.