Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor played one of the most defining roles of his career as the chaotic and controversial drug-addict musician Tommy Singh, known for his energetic songs with lyrics glorifying violence and drug use. Shahid revealed that his first question to director Abhishek Chaubey was, "Why are you coming to me?"
Shahid Kapoor On Playing Drug-Addict In Udta Punjab
Talking in a session at IFP, Shahid shared, "I don’t drink. I’ve never been high; I don’t know how to do this. So this is as far away from my reality as it can get, and he said, but I think you’re a good actor, and if you’re a good actor, you should be able to do something which you have not done in your life."
He stated that, in the beginning, the only way he could get into the role was when Abhishek shared a lot of footage with him. He felt the makers wanted to explore addiction and the rockstar persona of Tommy, living that nocturnal, no-holds-barred lifestyle for 40 days.
Shahid Kapoor Says He Survived On Black Coffee
"I think most of the film was at night, and I was eating very little food, surviving a lot on black coffee. He was one of the most experimental characters that I’ve played, and it’s unreal," Kapoor added.
Udta Punjab Cast
Apart from Shahid, Udta Punjab also starred Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Diljit Dosanjh.
Udta Punjab Controversy
The film had also sparked controversy when the CBFC asked the makers to drop the word 'Punjab' from the title. The tussle between co-producer Anurag Kashyap and CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani further intensified the buzz, with the censor board even demanding 89 cuts.
