When ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ directors recall how they discovered Shahid Kapoor for the ‘Aankhon Mein Tera Chehra’ song

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Shahid Kapoor, one of Bollywood’s most versatile stars, known for films like 'Ishq Vishk', 'Jab We Met', 'Kaminey', 'Haider', and 'Kabir Singh'.

Before he became a leading man, however, he was just a teenager with extraordinary talent. Few people know that filmmakers Vinay Sapru and Radhika Rao spotted him long before his debut while casting for the music video 'Aankhon Mein Tera Chehra'.

The dance class that changed everything

In an old interview with Hindi Rush Podcast, Vinay Sapru recalled how their search for a fresh face led him to choreographer Shiamak Davar’s dance academy. There, among many students, stood a young Shahid Kapoor.“Shiamak told us, ‘This cute boy you’re looking for, he’s in my class. You must come and see.’ So I went to the class, and there was Shahid, dancing in the background,” Vinay shared.

“A cute, urban Archie”

When Vinay returned to the office, he excitedly described the discovery to Radhika Rao. “Vinay came to the office and said, ‘We’ve found a cute, urban Archie. You have to come and see this boy.’ Then he told me, ‘He’s Pankaj ji’s son, Neelima ji’s son.’”Radhika immediately went to meet him and was stunned. “My God, Shahid was so cute to look at and an outstanding dancer,” she said.

During editing, directors usually struggle to pick the best shot. This time, however, the problem was the opposite. “We were confused about which take to keep because har take kamaal ka tha (every take was fantastic).”

The moment they knew he was special

One particular shot convinced them that Shahid had star quality. “There’s a shot in the song where the alarm rings and he wakes up… Radhika saw that and said, ‘This boy is a superstar. Look at that expression.

He’s going to be unstoppable.’” Radhika later explained that some actors possess a natural photogenic quality. “Some actors have a face that the camera just loves. Place the camera anywhere, and they still look great.

”She compared Shahid to Salman Khan in this regard. “Salman sir, like Bhai, you don’t have to cheat angles with him. With Shahid, it was the same. Any angle, any frame — he looked like a star.”He was last seen in 'O' Romeo', starring alongside Triptii Dimri and Avinash Tiwary, with veteran actors Farida Jalal, Vikrant Massey, Nana Patekar, and Disha Patani also part of the ensemble.