Bharat's favourite

Undeterred by a string of flops, Katrina Kaif is upbeat about her line-up of movies and more at peace with the pace of her life, writes RAJIV VIJAYAKAR

She’s gung-ho that despite major flops last year in Thugs Of Hindostan and Zero, people choose to remember her blockbuster Tiger Zinda Hai and her past record of hits and good performances instead. Among films in which Katrina Kaif showed up with great performances have been Raajneeti, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Jagga Jasoos and Tiger Zinda Hai, and the blockbusters also include the last-mentioned film, with many more in the last 10 years and more.

In her 17th year in cinema, Katrina Kaif is not at all down, forget out. She is now set to do Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi with Akshay Kumar, is likely to work in the Satte Pe Satta remake with director Farah Khan, and her first release will be what Salman Khan declares will be a “National award-winning” role for her in Bharat.

She is in an extremely ebullient mood (only the “extremely” part is new!) when we meet up for her forthcoming release. This is her third film, after Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Tiger Zinda Hai, with director Ali Abbas Zafar, one of the brightest names out there, and Katrina goes into a long rewind as we ask her about how the director and she have evolved in their bonding.

“That’s a very interesting story,” she smiles. “My first interaction with him was on the sets of New York, on which he was first AD (assistant director). I thought he was quite rude and I hated the boy. I told my manager to inform Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) that if this boy talked rudely with me again, I would leave the set. Even when I wanted a two-day break for the promotions of Singh Is Kinng, he told me sternly that I should not leave!”

Gradually, Katrina and Ali became friends, as she realised that he was quite a hardworking young man. “He came across as stern, but his heart was in the right
place, and he soon came into my circle of friends. I was shooting for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara when he sent me a script, as he was making his directorial debut. That was Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, and I realised that he had written it for me as he knew me — fun-loving, silly, mad, and even a prankster. And making that film came across as one of my most enjoyable experiences.”

Still in Ali mode, she goes on, “One day, he randomly told me that he was scripting a sequel for Ek Tha Tiger. And later, I realised that he had made me an integral part of the action in Tiger Zinda Hai and really taken my character of Zoya forward.”

Blessing in disguise

This time, however, Katrina has stepped in because Priyanka Chopra backed out. “It was a blessing in disguise for me,” she agrees. “Of our three films, this script and my character are the best. When you write a film, you do think of an actor at the back of your mind. But in this film, there was nothing written for me, and that was a big blessing.”

Katrina has decided to do roles like these now — something she has not done before, a character she has never seen. “I thought this girl would be docile and timid, but she is very modern in thought, self-made and a strong woman in the 1970s. She wants to be married, as well, and I liked that balance. At one point, in the early 1990s, she becomes a newsreader on Doordarshan, and I wanted to make her believable even in that part, so we studied a couple of such women. The role was super-challenging.” What was Salman Khan’s reaction when she signed the film? She laughs and replies, “There was no ‘Yay!’ or ‘Wow!’ — just the classic ‘Hi, what’s up!’ when we first met on sets!”

Salman has expressed confidence that Katrina will pick up this year’s National award. Grins the actress, “For me, it’s nice to know that he appreciated what I am doing. He saw that I had gone deep into my character. Actors, sometimes, can see co-stars better. Salman says most things in jest, but usually, there is also some truth in them. For me, it’s nice to know that he thinks this way.”

Variety is the spice

Katrina is now a veteran, still in the reckoning 17 years after her debut in Boom! and 14 years after her first success in Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. She is now in a different space as an actress. “I choose what attracts the person in me today. Things change in life, in my mind, my experiences. So your choices change. I want to do what challenges me. If something very nice comes but is repetitive, I would be bored.”

“People say I have become better as an actress. I must sustain the change, the growth, the evolution,” she goes on. “The audience must see something new in my character every time. Longevity comes from this approach. There is no rule-book for this. You may study at the Lee Strasberg School or not be formally trained, but I think it’s your own interest in creating characters and the opportunities that come when people see your work that matters.” She explains, “At the time of Dhoom 3, I did not take the trouble of getting into the girl’s mind, as that was a different space of dance and great songs like Kamli and Malang and glamour. Today, I would. But that too was important.That too was a big part of what I wanted to do, as I look at songs and dance as performing arts, not items. In my childhood, I was allowed to only watch musicals like Singing In The Rain or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and musical stars like Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. That became my info as a kid, my vision of showbiz. The high heels, hair, the bright performances — I loved them!”
“In India,” she goes on, “There were Madhuri Dixit-Nene’s films and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s movies. The joy on their face while doing all this — that was my ambition. But in Bharat, my enjoyment was the fulfilment in my character. I did not want to dance, though Ali later made me do one situational shaadi song.”

The actress is soon stepping into the beauty industry with her own brand. “Yes, I am doing that later this year. I am excited, fingers crossed, but we will meet up for that!” she promises with a smile.