Shekhar Kapur reveals daughter Kaveri helped him realise he was severely dyslexic: ‘I go into a state of panic’

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has talked about how he discovered he has dyslexia thanks to his daughter Kaveri Kapur. Shekhar posted a lengthy message on X (previously Twitter) on Saturday, discussing his fears, his journey to become a chartered accountant, and his filmmaking skills.

Talking about a few years ago, Shekhar shared why Kaveri wanted to get herself tested for dyslexia. “Some years ago, my daughter said she had dyslexia. Her teacher commented this was often a ruse that students used to get more time for their exams.. My daughter insisted on doing an online experiment, and guess what? She was a little dyslexic, but to my amazement, I was severely dyslexic. And now it started to make sense for me.”

Shekhar discussed his life up until he began making films. “I am petrified of forms, like the ones that you have to fill in on an everyday basis. Always have been .. The moment I look at one .. I go into a state of panic. And I thought I was just irresponsible and lazy. But how did I become a Chartered Accountant? And a pretty successful one, too? It’s still a mystery to me .. And films? My line producers, the one that actually are in charge of making the film, often said .. ‘Shekhar won’t read the schedule .. but yet will find a way to finish the day on schedule’,” he added.

He recalled the time when he decided to accept his dyslexia. “I and everybody else would laugh it off. Till I accepted my dyslexia, and realised that I was not escaping reading the form but just couldn’t make sense of it, and realised how I had always worked around it, and compensated for my dyslexia in making my films, and perhaps some of the great creative moments I have experienced are not in spite of my dyslexia but because of it! By compensating for it, and now I am amazed at the number of brilliant, creative people with dyslexia.. Is there a link? I wonder ..#Dyslexia #WorldDyslexiaDay #Creativity,” concluded his post.

In 1997, Shekhar married Suchitra Krishnamoorthi. In 2001, they welcomed Kaveri. Eight years after being married, Suchitra and Shekhar were divorced.

One of the few Indian directors to build a name for themselves in Hollywood, Shekhar has helmed a number of films, including Elizabeth (1998), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Masoom (1983), Mr India (1987), Bandit Queen (1994), and What’s Love Got to Do with It (2022).