'Mr India' director Shekhar Kapur recalls leaving CA job in London: 'Karma..destiny..really?'

Shekhar Kapur is known for some iconic movies like 'Mr India' and 'Masoom' but did you know that he had never chosen filmmaking as a profession. He said that it just happened to him after opting for being a Chartered Accountant (CA) earlier. Kapur got nostalgic in his recent Instagram post as he said, "That was a night before I left India for London to be a Chartered Accontant. Life seemed set. The best qualification you could have then. Great job whe you got back. High up the ladder in the marriage market. Membership to the Delhi Gymkhana Club.. and a great retirement playing bridge amongst the then elite at the club. Except it did not turn out that way. I walked away after qualifying and doing a couple of jobs in London. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, so I just walked away into nothingness. I had no choice."

Kapur then delved deeper, questioning whether destiny or karma shaped the unexpected turns his life eventually took, leading him into acting, filmmaking, theatre, technology, and academia across continents.





“Or did I ? Is there Karma involved? It’s not like I did nothing. I acted and made Movies/TV in India and Hollywood. I created theatrical productions in the West End, in Broadway, in Europe and Dubai .. I created India’s first Digital Start Up. I taught at MIT .. been on tBoard of Singapore’s Media Development Authority, and tBoard of Dubai Expo. And so so much more .. because I had no choice .. because I, like a child walked through any door that opened .. for I had no choice ..I had no choice ?," he added.

Reflecting on how much control individuals truly have over their lives, the filmmaker pondered the unpredictable forces that shape human existence.

“We don’t control when we we were born. When we die. When we fall in love or out of love .. when we are betrayed ( or betray). Looking back I ask myself this .. did you control what you did, or was it supposed to happen ? Or were you just rebellious ? Or just constantly giving into the flow life ?"

“Did I have a choice .. .. or was it supposed to happen ? Karma, Destiny ..really ?," the director asked. Recently, Kapur also reviewed 'Dhurandhar' after its OTT release and praised the film. He said that he saw the film only now after its OTT release and not in theatres because it was banned in Dubai.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”