Birthday Boy Shekhar Kapur Is Also A Poet To Reckon With

We are the stories that we tell ourselves, says the acclaimed filmmaker.

A natural actor (Vishwaroopam, Mahanagar, Jan Hazir Hai, etc.), a great director (Masoom, Mr India, Bandit Queen, Elizabeth), quite an orator, and yes, a writer – Shekhar Kapur is one versatile talent that inspires you to be creative.

A person who has always followed his heart, Kapur has not been very active in the world of cinema lately. His last announced film Paani has been shelved for quiet some time. But he has been in touch with his audience through his blog and microblog on Twitter.

On his birthday (December 6), here’s a tribute to Shekhar Kapur, the poet. Listen to a sampling of his poetry from his Twitter timeline.

“We are the stories that we tell ourselves. Stories are the relationship that you develop between who you are, and who you potentially are, and the infinite world. And that’s mythology. A person without a story, does not exist,” he said once in a TED talk.

Einstein told a story, and for his stories he came up with theories, and then he came up with equations. Alexander had a story that his mother used to tell him and he went out to conquer the world... I would go further and say, I exist because I tell a story.

From Shekhar Kapur’s TED Talk, fimed in November 2009

You can see his twitter page flooded with several such direct-from-the-heart, small tales – stories that make him what he is. Here are some such hand picked tales, just for you.

We Are All Soulmates

Are u my Soulmate? If u desire it Its not destined? If you believe it so What do u believe? We are all Soulmates Each one of us? Together

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) November 6, 2015

I Don’t Want To Define You

In defining you, I confine you, you're a question, a mystery that fills me with wonder and yearning, why would I define you and confine you?

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 14, 2015

But, Let Go Your Past

Who are u? your past why r u still here? you wont let me go how do I let you go? by being in the present how do I do that? by letting me go!

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 18, 2015

Say Yes, Not No

If you cant say yes, please dont say no, a whole universe lies between a yes and a no, a universe full of hope

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 24, 2015

And This Guilt?

Who r u? Guilt What do u want? I'm hungry Why me? U r easy prey How? You r afraid Of what? Being punished For what? Things you never did.

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) January 3, 2016

Let it Go...

Let go! No what do u want? Your soul I am ur past but in u I'm ur present In u I breed n grow in2 such interesting forms why will I let go?

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) January 9, 2016

And Let’s Dance

Lets dance? Don't know how Hear the music? No Close ur eyes ok Hear ur heartbeat? Yes Now go deeper ok Hear the music? Yes! Lets Dance?

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 10, 2015

Did You Feel?

did u feel the whisper of love that passed u by even as it caressed ur cheek or were u too busy listening 2 the noise inside ur own head?

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 14, 2015

Grow Up! No, Thanks!

You're such a child! Yes Time 2 grow up! How? Be adult! How? Act Mature! Means? Like everyone else! Really? Thats Growing up? Yes! No thanks

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 7, 2015

And An Important Life Lesson

Lessons of Life : Nothing adds up to a wasted life more than your million unexpressed emotions. Moments let go because you feared rejection.

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) November 22, 2015

So, never leave an emotion unexpressed. There is no harm in remaining a child, because children imagine, they trust and they express. Isn’t it what we want? To imagine, to trust, and to express?

And before we end, do listen to what a father has to tell his daughter about one of our greatest imaginations – God.

Is God real, Daddy? God is the connection between the real n the imagined https://t.co/Gwq7FnbNhU

— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 11, 2015

(This story is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 12 January 2016.)