Shakti Kapoor Recalls Parents Walking Out Of Theatre Over His Villain Role: ‘Why Are You Doing Gunda Roles?’

Shakti Kapoor built an unforgettable career playing some of Hindi cinema’s most notorious villains. But long before audiences began cheering his menacing screen presence, his parents struggled to come to terms with the kind of roles he was choosing.

In a candid conversation with AlphaNeon Studioz, the actor recalled an incident from the early phase of his success that left him shaken, “When two big films of mine had released, and another big film had just released called Insaniyat Ke Dushman, so I told my parents to go and watch the film. Both my parents went to watch it. However, when the film started my first scene showed me pulling the dupatta of a girl.”

What followed was an immediate and emotional reaction from his family, “My father immediately

told my mom to get up and leave the theatre. He said, ‘He used to do this outside and now he’s doing this on the big screen also. Look what he’s doing. I don’t want to watch this film.’”

‘Why Are You Playing A Gunda?’

Shakti revealed that his parents were deeply disturbed by the image he was projecting on screen and did not hesitate to reprimand him, “They called me and scolded me. What type of roles are you doing? And see with whom you’re doing such things? They told me that I should do roles of a good person and star alongside actors like Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman. Why are you doing roles of a gunda?”

Despite their concern, Shakti was unwilling to step away from the work that was finally bringing him recognition after years of struggle, “I told them you have given birth to me, and you have only given me this face. After looking at this face no one is giving me role of a good person or a hero.”

Shraddha Kapoor Was Also Upset As A Child

The discomfort with Shakti Kapoor’s villainous image wasn’t limited to his parents. In an older interview, his daughter, Shraddha Kapoor, admitted that she too found it hard to accept his screen persona when she was young, “I used to shout at him for doing villain roles. I used to be sad about it (playing villain). But then my mother explained he is just acting,” she told PTI.

A Legacy Of Iconic Villains

Over time, Shakti Kapoor’s negative roles went on to define an era of Hindi cinema. Characters like Crime Master Gogo in Andaz Apna Apna, Bulla in Gunda, and several other menacing turns made him one of Bollywood’s most recognisable antagonists.

What once troubled his family eventually became his greatest strength—cementing Shakti Kapoor’s legacy as a performer whose villains were as unforgettable as the heroes they tormented.