Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor‘s last two releases, Deva and O Romeo, failed to make an impact at the box office despite generating considerable buzz. The actor is now busy promoting his upcoming film, Cocktail 2. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Shahid revealed that the disappointing performance of his last two films has prompted him to change the way he evaluates scripts. He shared that he no longer listens to narrations alone and now prefers having his team present during the process.
Shahid Kapoor reveals he doesn’t take script narrations alone
Reflecting on the failure of his recent films, Shahid admitted that such setbacks bring a range of emotions. He said, “When you work for so long, you expect to get it right more. But that’s not how it works. How many years you’ve worked has nothing to do with it. Films are extremely unpredictable. Being an actor, you don’t have control over how it does. You have some control, but not full control over even what you do as an actor. It’s the director who has to decide the frame and he has to be happy too.”
He also spoke about a major change he has made following the failure of Deva and O Romeo. Shahid said, “One thing I’ve started telling my team now is that maybe I should not be deciding on my scripts. Maybe I know exactly what to do in front of the camera, but maybe I don’t know which films to choose, or my criteria might be driven by a pure artistic instinct, and that might not land. So now, I actually insist on narrations not being done alone. I used to always do them alone, but I’ve changed that. It’s a big change that has happened in my life after these two films. I want three more people in the room now, so that I’m not the only one imagining it a certain way.”
About Deva and O Romeo
In 2025, Shahid starred in the action thriller Deva, directed by Rosshan Andrrews and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur. The film received mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. Made on a reported budget of ₹50 crore, it earned ₹40.82 crore net in India and ₹56.32 crore worldwide.
In 2026, Vishal Bhardwaj’s O Romeo generated significant excitement among audiences, with Shahid in the lead role. However, the romantic action thriller also received mixed reviews and emerged as a commercial disappointment. Made on a reported budget of ₹150 crore, the film collected only ₹110 crore worldwide.
About Shahid Kapoor’s upcoming film
Shahid is now awaiting the release of Cocktail 2. Directed by Homi Adajania and written by Tarun Jain and Luv Ranjan, the film stars Shahid, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles. The story revolves around a love triangle, much like the 2012 hit Cocktail. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on 19 June.
