Shekhar Kapur delves into the intersection of mind and heart in the creative process

Mumbai, May 9
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur shared a deep reflection on the nature of thought and creativity, pondering the roles of the mind and the heart in the creative process.



In a post on social media, Kapur explored how thoughts arise and how the heart and mind each contribute to the artistic journey. According to him, while the mind produces tempered and considered thoughts, the heart’s influence is more intuitive, flowing, and eternal. In his post, the director raised a profound question: Can the heart think? His answer was both philosophical and poetic — the heart belongs not to the moment, but to the eternal "now." Shekhar also likened this idea to the way artist Bob Dylan famously described his songwriting process: "My best lyrics were written as fast as my pencil could write."

Kapur explained that for him, the most honest and raw creative work comes when he is “out of the way,” when the creation simply passes through him.

On Friday, the 'Mr. India' actor posted an image on his Instagram with the caption, “Where do thoughts arise? From the mind or from the heart? If from the mind, they are tempered and considered, if from the heart they tend to be intuitive, flowing, and yes, eternal. Does the Heart think? Of course it doesn’t. One could just leave that to the mind. Thoughts that are constantly drifting between the past, the future, the vassilating between yes, maybe , maybe not ..” (sic)

“The heart belongs to the eternal .. no, not to the moment, for the moment it self is often a measure of time .. the word closest .. I believe .. is .. the heart belongs to the now ..The eternal now.. It’s like Bob Dillon said ‘My best lyrics were written as fast as my pencil could write .. ‘For me , my most honest ( and it’s not a value/ moral judgement) come when I am out of the way .. where what is written has merely passed through me,” (sic) he added.

Professionally, Shekhar Kapur has carved a distinguished place for himself in Indian and global cinema, earning critical acclaim and numerous honors, including the prestigious National Film Award. He is known for directing films such as “Masoom,” “Mr. India,” and “Bandit Queen.”