From Ishq Vishk to Mausam and now, his upcoming release 'Teri Meri Kahaani', we have seen Shahid in different roles. His constant urge to experiment rather than follow the boring, typical path earned him accolades from time to time. In fact, for the first time, fans will see Shahid in three different avataars in 'Teri Meri Kahaani' where he plays Javed (A poetic, lafangaa aashiq in 1910), Govind (A sweet chap in 1960's) and Krrish (The modern, uber cool guy in 2012).

We all know how he landed a role in Ishq Vishk after several auditions and rejections. The fact remains, Shahid believes in the philosophy 'Never say never and Never give up' and that's one thing that his fans (like me) have learned from him.

He was a student and later, an instructor at the Shiamak Davar Institute of the Performing arts. He has inherited this special talent from his beautiful mother, Neelima Azim, who is a trainer Kathak dancer. Shiamak loves Shahid and considers him to be one of the top dancers in the country today. I remember Shahid once said, "I remember an incident. Once Shiamak was very angry and threw a chair at me during rehearsals". I think, all good performers get a little punishment from their 'Guru', after all behind the anger, there is immense love that is hidden somewhere.

His early films say him play the sweet, romantic chocolate boy. In Ishq Vishk, we saw him as Rajiv Mathur. His acting skills won everyone's heart and his confidence earned him all the 'Best debutant' awards that year. Not just that, his popularity amongst girls and guys alike got him offers from some of the best directors in the industry. All his movies had different, unique plots. In 2004, he played Jai in Fida followed by movies like Deewane huye Pagal, Shikhar (One of my favorite Shahid Kapoor movie, which earned him his first Best actor nomination at Screen awards) etc.

His biggest breakthrough was Vivah, directed by Sooraj Barjatya. He was paired alongside his Ishq Vishk co-star Amrita Rao. This movie made people smile, cry and shed tears every time they saw 'Prem' on screen. Shahid's flawless acting earned him many Best Actor nominations that year and millions of Fans as well. 

Shahid then dedicated 2 years to an ambitious project, which was directed by his father, Pankaj Uncle (I call Pankaj Kapoor, Pankaj Uncle out of respect). 'Mausam' is very close to Shahid's heart. It was not just a film, but also an opportunity for Shahid to spend time with his father. Shahid's fans were dying to see him on the big screen after a year and a half. The 'Mausam' album is brilliant. Songs from this film are soulful, they touch your heart and soul. They top the playlist on my iPod and 'Rabba' has become one of my all time favorites after 'Aao milo chale' from Jab We Met! Mausam got delayed due to several problems but ultimately, it won the hearts of Shahid and his co-star, Sonam's fans. Shahid Kapoor's portrayal of SQ leader Harinder Singh earned him the title of an 'Excellent Actor'. Critics loved his performance in the film. It's a pity that he didn't earn any nomination for this film, but for his true fans, Mausam is undoubtedly amongst his best films so far. He also became the first Indian actor to fly the F-16.

To conclude, Shahid Kapoor has made a huge difference to the lives of those who like love him. He has been a huge source of inspiration for several fans out there. He has come a long way in life, from being a 22 year old newcomer to an experienced yet very down to earth 31-year young man (Though I still like to call him 'Forever 21' - Not the brand). I am sure, his 'Shanatics' can only pray that their 'Sasha' keeps walking on the path of success.

Shahid, I congratulate you on completing 9 wonderful years in the industry! Be the person that you are for life, Keep smiling the way you do for life, Keep making us smile with your films for life.

Priya Adivarekar

Every time I visit Shirdi, my childhood comes back to tease me!

Every wonderful moment of my childhood spent in Shirdi was beautiful. I thank god for giving me the chance to be born in the 90's, at least before the millennium, Because I enjoyed some amazing, peaceful moments in Shirdi, which cannot be compared to the present day situation!

I remember staying there for 8-10 days, I remember the time when there used to be no crowd in the temple. No one pulled you even if you stood there chanting a shloka, No one touched you if you simply smiled at saibaba's beautiful idol. No one dared to raise their voice in the temple and No one pushed you! The temple, with simple decorations, was so peaceful. I remember playing and running around in the sanctum sanatorium of the Samadhi temple, clicking photographs and even getting the time to pose. I could touch the Samadhi and stand there for 5-10 mins, looking into Saibaba's eyes. There was so much i could do! But today, the only thing I can do is look at the idol and pray, everything else is lost somewhere in the crowd!

The shanti and bhakti hall, made for the convenience of the bhaktas who stand in the Darshan queue, was made in 1998! I remember going there when it was under construction. When it was ready for use, I used to stand on the steel benches and walk in the queue. As time passed, the crowd started swelling and I remember how even years after that, I used to stand on those benches and shout out loudly, "Sainath maharaj ki," waiting for the bhaktas to reply back with a loud 'Jay'!

But today, all I can do with chant the name of lord, while walking quietly in the super long queue.

In Dwarkamai, I remember how all the priests and other workers used to laugh at all my childish antics! I used to sing the whole aarti (which i even do now). My parents used to read the sai satcharitra there, while I was busy lighting up the earthen lamps every Thursday near the fireplace, where baba used to cook his food. Whenever I went to the Dwarkamai, I distributed the holy teerth (water) to everyone and stood there for almost 1-2 hrs. I remember how I fought with a groom who entered the temple with his footwear on. I remember how I used to sweep the temple at night. I remember how I used to offer naivedya (offering of food) to Saibaba at noon. Post noon aarti, all the bhaktas used to mix the food items brought by all the everyone and then, distribute it everywhere. On my birthday, I used to offer some pieces of the cake inside the Dhuni. like an offering made to Agni dev (fire god). But today, the sanctum sanatorium of Dwarkamai is closed on most Weekends and Thursday, teerth & naivedya distribution is stopped by the sansthan (management). The only thing I can do now is take the darshana and be content. The dhuni is permanently closed from all the sides.

The Sansthan premises was like a big playground for me, as I posed, hopped, jumped, danced and sung aartis in loud and clear tones! The sai satyavrat puja was perfect where the priest never ran out of time and recited the full story of Lord satyanarayan properly. During the kakad aarti (morning aarti), everyone inside the sanctum sanatorium was asked to sit down till the priests finished the holy bath of Shri Saibaba. But today, everything has become a part of the fast-paced life. They have cut down on time and made space for more better arrangements. Fair enough! But what about those people who stand up in the middle of an aarti, causing inconvenience to people. They start gossiping when the priest is reciting shlokas. They throw coins and flowers at the Main idol, which may cause permanent damage. Can't people think twice before acting like this?

Shirdi is, was and will always be close to my heart. I will continue to celebrate my birthday there and I will always love everything about my holy watan. But, there were some wonderful days I enjoyed during my childhood in the late 90s. Those days will never come back. The current generation of children who visit Shirdi don't get the privilege of all things nice, the way I got it. They don't get to do everything that i did. So in a way, I was truly lucky. Thank you so much for everything, God.

Om Sai Ram