Shahid Kapoor is flying high...literally. After all, he is playing an Indian Army pilot in his father Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut film Mausam. The actor chats up Sreya Basu after releasing the first look of the film in Mumbai

What is Mausam all about?
Mausam is about seasons of love. It is about the different emotions and situations that the two principal characters –Harinder Singh (me) and Aayat (Sonam Kapoor)- undergo...what seasons of love they go is the theme of the film.

Is it true that you did not take up any new project till shooting for Mausam was over?
Yes. It was wonderful that I could go through the entire process. Dad had written this film about three years back.

He was pretty clear right at the beginning that whenever we do this film, I should not take up any other projects because the script requires certain graft as it is spread over certain period of time.

The film required certain amount of authenticity and he wanted me to be completely in the film form. That's why I took off everything else to have that time to go and do some research on being an aircraft officer.

What research did you do for your role?
I visited a few airforce bases, met a few airforce officers, sat in the aircraft, put on the jets suit, follow how they walk with a helmet...all that which actually gives you some perspective to what it is to be representing the country and to be part of armed forces and to be an airforce pilot.

And what did you learn?
It will be very interesting for you to know that the value of an airforce pilot is Rs 300 crores on an average...that's the amount of money invested in each airforce officer over a period of time.

I used to think that we heroes get all the good things, but our airforce officers are taken extremely good care of. They used to look at me and say: ‘Haan yaar, tut oh hero hai...thi hai.

They all have this attitude that is awesome because they are the real heroes. That was an enriching experience. I have changed as a person, as an actor as I have learnt to respect a lot of things that I used to take for granted so far.

You are spotting a moustache in the film...
We started shooting this film two years back and dad (Pankaj Kapur) had told me to grow a moustache. I told him: ‘Dad, yesteryear actors who used to grow moustaches. This style is not for me.'

But in these two years, I saw many of our present day heroes spotted moustaches. So now it feels nice that so many people thought about it in and around the same time.

What was the most memorable experience you had while shooting the film?
I flew an F-16 (fighter aircraft)...I don't know of any other actor in the world who has flown an F-16. Tom Cruise too flew a fighter aircraft in Top Gun, but I think, that was an F-15. So, I am really fortunate to get that opportunity.

Item songs have become almost indispensable in films. Do we see you groove in Mausam?
I tried very hard to request dad that as an airforce officer of the Indian Army, I should be doing an item song where I expose my body and we should shoot it in and around an aircraft. But dad said he would not like to do anything like that in this film.

Tell us about your chemistry with Sonam.
We love and hate each other. And that is how we are. Sonam has very high fashion standards. She doesn't entertain people whose fashion standards don't match hers.

Therefore, when you are shooting with her, you have to dress and look a certain way and get an approval of that from her. Fortunately throughout the making of this film, I tried to educate myself in all that.