'It's an adrenaline-charged performance. On many occasions as we performed together I'd forget how young Shahid is. This level of passion in a performance comes to an actor after decades, not after three-four years of acting,' he said.

Gupte is so impressed with Shahid, who made his debut in 2003 with 'Ishq Vishk', that he now intends to cast him in his directorial venture.

He rates Shahid's acting in 'Kaminey' as a benchmark for actors essaying double roles.

'I don't think a double role has been done like this before. Shahid has entered Guddu and Charlie's world. Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) and Pankaj apart, I know very few actors who could've done what he has. Shahid should be up for two best actor nominations in 'Kaminey',' Gupte said.

Though this is Shahid's first film with Bharadwaj, audiences still remember his father Pankaj for his stellar performance in the talented director's 'Maqbool'. He also wowed audiences in his 'The Blue Umbrella' and 'Blood Brothers', a short-film on AIDS.