By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, July 15 (IANS) Shahid Kapoor apparently took inspiration from his illustrious dad Pankaj Kapoor to play the role of morally-incompatible twins in forthcoming thriller “Kaminey”. And his co-star Amol Gupte feels the young actor has indeed inherited his father’s acting skills.

“When Shahid played Guddu, he had to assume Guddu’s stammer. He completely internalised all of the character’s traits, including the stammer so that there’s nothing caricatural about the character,” Gupte, who plays a villain in the film by Vishal Bharadwaj, told IANS.

“He stayed on the set throughout, kept absorbing the ambience, the sweaty milieu in which Guddu and Charlie (the other character) had to function in their own separate ways. I know Pankaj works the same way. And I truly believe Shahid has inherited Pankaj’s ability and style of performing without seeming to act. It is definitely in his DNA,” he added.

Gupte, who is better known for scripting Aamir Khan’s directorial debut “Taare Zameen Par”, says his young co-star surprised him with his excellent performance.

“When you’re facing the camera with a co-star you become compatriots in the canvas of characterization. On many occasions I was startled by Shahid’s passion for excellence. I saw the same quality in Aamir.

“It’s an adrenaline-charged performance. On many occasions as we performed together I’d forget how young Shahid is. This level of passion in a performance comes to an actor after decades, not after three-four years of acting,” he said.

Gupte is so impressed with Shahid, who made his debut in 2003 with “Ishq Vishk”, that he now intends to cast him in his directorial venture.

He rates Shahid’s acting in “Kaminey” as a benchmark for actors essaying double roles.

“I don’t think a double role has been done like this before. Shahid has entered Guddu and Charlie’s world. Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pankaj apart, I know very few actors who could’ve done what he has. Shahid should be up for two best actor nominations in ‘Kaminey’,” Gupte said.

Though this is Shahid’s first film with Bharadwaj, audiences still remember his father Pankaj for his stellar performance in the talented director’s “Maqbool”. He also wowed audiences in his “The Blue Umbrella” and “Blood Brothers”, a short-film on AIDS.