The actor was inspired to don the cap after watching his dad, Pankaj Kapoor's unruffled style of filmmaking during the making of Mausam

You won't hear him saying this aloud. Not yet. But actor Shahid Kapoor is all set to turn director. And Kapoor Jr has to thank his father Pankaj Kapoor, who directed him in Mausam.

"Shahid was hands-on from the start of the project. And by 'start' I don't mean the day shooting began.

Mausam was Shahid's pet project from the time his father wrote it. It was known that Shahid would play the lead, and participate actively in all the behind-the-scenes activities, including casting, " said a source close to the film unit.

The decision to cast Sonam Kapoor was as much Shahid's decision as it was his dad's. "Since it's a love story, there are only two principal characters in Mausam. It was very important to cast the right face and personality.

Various names including Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Deepika Padukone were considered. Both, Pankaj and Shahid zeroed in on Sonam. The role required a Kashmiri girl, and they felt Sonam looked the part. She had have a dreamy look on screen, " the source said.

Shahid has learnt to surrender himself to the director, after watching his father direct. Which is why he may not cast himself in the film he directs. "While Ranbir Kapoor is willing to cast himself in his directorial debut, Shahid won't. When he directs a film next year, it will feature another actor."

Shahid observed Pankaj Kapoor's style of working through the making of Mausam, and was impressed by his father's imperturbable and unruffled approach.

Says the actor, "Working with my dad has been a very different experience. He's a very sorted director. That's the way I want to be.

To surrender to the director and trust him blindly is a great feeling. I want to experience it first-hand. From now on, when I am acting, I'll surrender to the director's vision. It takes away from the pressure of being an actor. It was humbling working with dad."