Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor on Thursday said he wanted to take a break from intense roles of the past by doing a light-hearted romantic comedy like "Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya".
Paired opposite Kriti Sanon, the film marks Kapoor's return to the romance genre, in which he has delivered hits like "Ishq Vishq", "Chup Chup Ke" and “Jab We Met”.
"I was wondering why I haven't done a love story for a long time. It often happens that you get back to back films from a similar space. But I wanted to do something different. The word 'different' is defined by this film because the subject is so unique that I never imagined doing it. So it is a very fresh and different concept for me," the actor told reporters here at the film's promotional event.
Kapoor said the movie gives him a break from the intense characters he played in the last few projects, including "Kabir Singh", OTT series "Farzi" and action thriller "Bloody Daddy".
"I was looking forward to something which was a little relaxing. There are often characters that make you do complex things because of their requirements. This is a very open character, I could have fun and be spontaneous with it, which I hadn't done for a long time.
"At the same time, it is not always easy to do light roles. When you have a defined character, then you know what you have to do to get the performance right. But with a free flowing character, there is a possibility you can be right or wrong with it," he added.
“Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya”, dubbed as an "impossible love story", is written and directed by first-time filmmakers Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah. It features Shahid as a man who falls in love and decides to marry a robot, named Sifra (Sanon).
Sanon said she found it interesting to play a "robot who was so close to a human being".
"She gives the feeling of an absolute human but she is not, so that fine line was there. When I was giving the shots for this character, I would often ask myself if a take was robotic enough or if I had overdone it. I had to find a balance. Sifra in the beginning was a little suffocating for me because I felt my hands were tied. But things got better as we got flowing," she said.
Sanon, who recently won a National Film Award for her performance in "Mimi", revealed that she was supposed to work with Kapoor on a project years ago but it didn't materialise.
"Everything happens when it is supposed to happen. I believe that we worked together at a correct time as I have learnt my craft even better. I'm way more confident as an actor. Earlier, I would have been very nervous to be in front of him but now I'm confident enough to hold my own," she said.
"We both really vibed. There are times when you don't have to make an effort to create chemistry because it comes out very naturally," she added.
Kapoor said he wanted to collaborate with Sanon as her work as an actor has "constantly improved over the past few years".
"I believe this film needed a fresh pairing and it is very important for this genre. If the audiences like our work in the movie, then it gives us the opportunity to collaborate again together," he added.
Produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya” also features veteran actors Dharmendra and Dimple Kapadia in pivotal roles. The movie, co-produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Laxman Utekar, is set to release in theatres on February 9.
