Actor Ishaan Khatter had a childhood away from the limelight despite being the half-brother of actor Shahid Kapoor and the son of actors Neelima Azeem and Rajesh Khattar. In an interaction with Mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist, Ishaan revealed that he grew up living in rented homes and also failed in school.
Ishaan Khatter failed in school
During the interaction, when asked about early failures in life, Ishaan was quick to admit, “I failed in school.”
Further talking about his school days, Ishaan said, “All my schooling was in Juhu. I was in Jamnabai for 10 years. Then I went to a school called Billabong High. For two years I tried to make sense of life as I was used to my friends. I had studied in one school till 8th grade.”
“I always moved homes as we lived in rented houses. It was what people called the Bombay struggling lifestyle. By the time I was 16, I had lived in 17 houses. So I was changing more houses than my age.”
Ishaan on leaving academics for dance
Ishaan spoke about switching from academics to dance. “When I changed school, the one social set I was used to had shifted. I was also making my peace with that. Then I went to a school called Rimms where I did my A-levels. Then I started dancing. I told my mom that when I left Jamnabai in 8th grade, my academics started falling. The only two subjects I was good at were English language and dramatics. I asked if I could study what I was passionate about, and she understood because she is an artist. She was like, ‘Don’t fail in school, work hard,’ but she realised I really wanted to learn.”
He added, “I wanted to get intense dance training and did something called OYP under Shiamak (Davar). She said, ‘Go ahead and do it.’ So I started. When I was 17–18, I would take the Mumbai local every day from Andheri to Mahalaxmi and go under that bridge where they have their warehouse where we practised. A year later, I was offered a job to instruct at Shiamak’s institute.”
On becoming an AD
Ishaan later entered the film industry by becoming an assistant director on Abhishek Chaubey’s Udta Punjab, which starred his brother Shahid Kapoor in the lead. However, his brother was initially hesitant to get him on board as an AD. “Shahid said no. His concern was that this role is too important to me, I will have to babysit you on set. I was like, ‘Why would you babysit me? I would have my own role and would be living in a different hotel with the crew.’ But he said no and that he would be distracted. He said, ‘I don’t want to think my brother is on the set.’ And he is my elder brother by 15 years. So it would always end with ‘bada kaun?’” Ishaan recalled.
However, when Shahid saw Ishaan`s passion behind wanting to learn filmmaking, he allowed him to join the team.