Shekhar Kapur recalls Tanga rides to school, now dives deep into AI
Synopsis
Shekhar Kapur's X post is more than nostalgia — it's a filmmaker mapping his own life from a Tanga in 1950s Delhi to the AI frontier, even as he readies a 'Masoom' sequel with daughter Kaveri Kapur and reunites with A.R. Rahman. A rare director straddling memory and machine learning in the same breath.
Key Takeaways
Shekhar Kapur recalled riding a Tanga to school in Delhi before upgrading to a bicycle.
His route from Nizamuddin to Barakhamba Road took him past India Gate , where Jamun trees often made him late to class.
Kapur said he is now 'heavily into AI', framing his life as a journey from Tanga to artificial intelligence.
He is developing 'Masoom: The New Generation' , starring his daughter Kaveri Kapur .
The filmmaker has reunited with composer A.R.
Rahman , following past collaborations on 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' , 'Bombay Dreams' , and 'Why?' .
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has offered a wistful look back at his childhood in Delhi, recalling how he once rode a Tanga to school before graduating to a bicycle — a memory he shared while reflecting on his current immersion in Artificial Intelligence. The 'Mr India' director's post on X on 3 June traced an arc from horse-drawn carriages to algorithmic frontiers, capturing a generational leap many of his contemporaries have lived through.
From Nizamuddin to Barakhamba Road
Kapur recounted cycling from Nizamuddin to his school on Barakhamba Road, with India Gate falling squarely on his route. The lawns, dotted with Jamun and Shehtoot trees, proved an irresistible detour for the young student.
Posting on his official X handle, the filmmaker wrote, “I remember going to school in a Tonga in Delhi. Now heavily into AI. What a journey life has been .. I then graduated to bicycle. From Nizamuddin to Barakhamba road where my School was. Unfortunately on the way was India Gate. Full of Jamun and Shehtoot trees. How could you not shake the branches and eat the Jamun's that fell off the trees? Of course all the excuses of why I was late to school never worked… guess why? … How do you lie with a completely purple tongue? (sic)”
A filmmaker fascinated by the future
Kapur's pivot to AI is consistent with his long-standing public interest in technology and storytelling intersections. He has frequently weighed in on how emerging tools could reshape narrative cinema, even as he continues to anchor projects rooted in classical Indian filmmaking.
Masoom sequel on the anvil
On the professional front, Kapur is currently developing 'Masoom: The New Generation', the much-anticipated sequel to his 1983 family drama. The film will feature his daughter Kaveri Kapur in a key role.
Explaining his return to the world of 'Masoom', Kapur said, “For a long time, I have felt that the themes of Masoom deserved to be revisited through the lens of today's world. Families, relationships, identity; these ideas have evolved so much, and cinema must evolve with them.”
Reuniting with A.R. Rahman
The filmmaker has also teamed up again with Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman for his next project. The pairing has a long creative history, with previous collaborations including 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' and the musical theatre productions 'Bombay Dreams' and 'Why?'.
With a sequel in motion, a fresh Rahman collaboration, and an active engagement with AI, Kapur appears to be straddling nostalgia and reinvention in equal measure — a posture that mirrors the very arc he described in his post.
Point of View
Where many veterans treat AI with suspicion while a few — like him — lean in publicly. The contrast with peers is sharp: a director associated with 'Masoom' and 'Bandit Queen' openly embracing generative tools complicates the easy narrative that AI threatens auteur cinema. Whether that curiosity translates into actual on-screen experimentation in the 'Masoom' sequel is the more interesting question. For now, it is a reminder that India's filmmaking imagination has always moved faster than its production economics.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Shekhar Kapur say about his journey from Tanga to AI?
Shekhar Kapur shared on X that he once rode a Tanga to school in Delhi as a child and is now 'heavily into AI', describing the arc as 'what a journey life has been'. He later graduated from the Tanga to a bicycle, cycling from Nizamuddin to Barakhamba Road.
What is 'Masoom: The New Generation'?
It is the much-anticipated sequel to Shekhar Kapur's 1983 family drama 'Masoom'. The new film will feature his daughter Kaveri Kapur and aims to revisit the original's themes of family, relationships, and identity through a contemporary lens.
Is Shekhar Kapur working with A.R. Rahman again?
Yes, Shekhar Kapur has reunited with Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman for his next project. The two have previously collaborated on 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' and the musical theatre productions 'Bombay Dreams' and 'Why?'.
Why was Shekhar Kapur often late to school as a child?
Kapur said his cycling route from Nizamuddin to Barakhamba Road passed through India Gate, where Jamun and Shehtoot trees tempted him to stop and eat the fallen fruit. He joked that his excuses never worked because his purple-stained tongue gave him away.
