Zahan Kapoor is steadily carving his own path in Bollywood, but the road wasn’t as smooth as his surname might suggest. The grandson of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor and cousin to stars Kareena and Ranbir Kapoor, Zahan recently opened up about how his legacy became more of a weight than a welcome.
“It took me 12 years to get into this industry,” Zahan told Filmfare. “People think the name makes it easy. For me, it was the opposite. It terrified me. If I didn’t deliver, I’d be the biggest disappointment.”
Zahan made his debut with Faraaz in 2022, but it’s his intense performance in Black Warrant, the 2025 thriller series, that has made the industry sit up and take notice. Reflecting on the term nepotism, he remarked, “It means getting an unfair advantage. I’ve been told from day one—no one’s making calls for you. If you get in, it’s on your merit.”
The actor added that he was hyper-aware of expectations, saying, “I knew I had to be prepared for every opportunity. If I blew it, I couldn’t blame anyone else.”
Despite growing up distantly from Kareena and Ranbir, Zahan is finally feeling like he’s stepping into his own. With audiences appreciating his craft and critics applauding his range, Zahan Kapoor isn’t just carrying forward a legacy—he’s writing his own chapter, one role at a time.
