Katrina Kaif: Don't think Salman Khan will let 'Inshallah' clash with 'Sooryavanshi'

It’s rare for a Bollywood star to regain lost ground. But Katrina Kaif has managed to do so. She was the ruling diva of Hindi cinema when she stepped back three years ago (for just a wee bit) to pursue her personal dream with Ranbir Kapoor. That chapter ended; perhaps, not in the way she wanted it to. However, to borrow a cliché, she rose like a phoenix from the ashes. 

What’s commendable is that Kat didn’t waste any time in doing so. She just aced her game with convincing performances in big-ticket ventures like Tiger Zinda Hai (TZH, 2017), Thugs Of Hindostan (TOH, 2018) and Zero (2018). TZH netted Rs 339 crore at the domestic box office, but TOH and Zero were epic disasters. The fate of the films aside, Katrina has been the sole beneficiary in all of this.

Her journey as an actress has been noticeably good. As she readies herself for yet another magnum opus, Bharat, the leggy lass talks about the change in her craft and also about her personal transformation. Over to Katrina, the girl with the maximum stardom in B-Town.

Salman Khan and you are an evergreen jodi. TZH pushed the bar.

I feel the audience expects a lot from Salman and me as an onscreen jodi. We have received so much love and support from fans that we have that much more responsibility to deliver a good film. Nowadays, the tolerance for anything less than perfect is so little. Cinema has evolved; entertainment is available across so many platforms and there is an influx of digital shows. So, people are no longer in a mood to tolerate anything other than the best. They want quality, they want soul. No fancy, flowery words and image-building exercises will help make the cut. If your product doesn’t have quality, be sure it will be rejected. Your story and your film have to have soul. And Bharat has that, it has substance.

Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan in Bharat

How do you think it will compare with the best?

I don’t mean to say that all our films need to compare with those of Steven Spielberg. There are all types of films. But, there has to be a super-honest quality about your work. As an actor, you have to make sure that when you are standing on that set, in whatever capacity, you are giving it your all. If you don’t, the audience will not spare you.

In your opinion, have Salman and you evolved as a screen pair?

Yes.

You stepped into the film post Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ exit?

Yes, I was not meant to do Bharat initially, Priyanka was. Just two months before the shoot, (director) Ali Abbas Zafar called me and told me there was a change of heroine. Initially, I thought he was pulling my leg because I was genuinely unaware of everything that had transpired on the PC front. Anyway, he asked me to read the script. What I like about Ali is that he is a straight-forward person. He was clear that I should do the film only if I liked my part. He didn’t want me to base my decision on the basis of our friendship. It took me three hours and 15 minutes to read the script and I was blown away by it. I was sitting with my script coach. And, I told him, ‘Isn’t this really good?’I called Ali and said I loved it.

Tell us more about your character Kumud.

It’s a strong, well-written character. I saw this as an opportunity to play a part that actually spoke to me, to portray a desi Hindustani woman. The closest that I had done to something like this was my role in Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti (2010). But even that wasn’t as desi as this. So, it was a challenge for me.

You are playing a woman from the ’70s?

Playing this character didn’t mean just working on one aspect. It meant a lot more. From the first day of the shoot to the last, I immersed myself into it. I slowed down myself to fit into the mould of a woman from the ’70s. You know the world today is so fast-paced. Everything is at the touch of a button. Whether it’s social media or something else, we’re so wired. However, Kumud is not from that world. I didn’t even want my usual gym-toned body. Instead, I stuck to yoga and some stretching exercises to stay fit. She works in a hot, sweaty employment exchange in Delhi. So, I had to display the mindset of a single woman battling it out in a man’s world back then. For the 20 days of the schedule, I behaved like Kumud. I didn’t run to the gym after pack up to pump iron or even begin to get out of character. Even after pack-up, I lived in this bubble; sticking to the way Kumud talks, keeping her attitude in mind.

Of late, you appear to be pushing yourself too hard. True?

I don’t think I push myself in an unhealthy way. Sometimes, you say to yourself — okay, this is not where I expected to be at this point. This is where I am. We don’t remain the same person we were. Each of us grows. Today, I have to be honest to the person who I am. I don’t know what the future holds. However, I feel the world has been a more welcoming place to me in the last two years. Earlier, I used to have a lot more fear. Now, that is gone.

But you’re still very work-oriented...

All of us try to be the best at what we do. I feel I need to be absolutely true to my work. I have been fortunate to have people who have come into my professional life and I am happy for their guidance. I have learnt that the deeper you connect to your work, the more enjoyment you derive from it. I have found that place of growth and connection. So, it is not as if I have been unkind to myself. I have just evolved.

You have become an expert at maintaining equations with people — whether it’s Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone or Ranbir Kapoor. You were seen exchanging pleasantries with them at a recent awards ceremony.

I will tell you something important. A certain thing is already playing out in a certain manner. My reaction to it makes no difference. I can sit here and feel anger and bitterness. I can make myself unhappy. Or I can take into consideration that, how miserable I am makes no difference to anyone else. So, instead, I can lighten my own burden and say — let me be happy and at peace. And what is meant for me, will come my way.

I’m not trying to be Ms Goody Two Shoes. I’m not some extra-terrestrial being. I do go through my own share of pain and angst. But I see no point in holding a grudge. Whoever it is (no names taken), I don’t see the point of holding on to anything unpleasant from the past. I would rather let bygones be bygones. I don’t think anyone is out there to hurt me. People are trying to do the best for you. But, sometimes, in trying to do the best for you, you get hurt. Too bad. However, I would rather have a friend than an enemy.

Profound…

Believe me, I would genuinely prefer having a friend than an enemy. I like to laugh, I like talking to people. I like hanging out with people. Under the circumstances, I see no point in staying aloof. I believe in making friends.

You’ve signed yet another biggie, Sooryavanshi?

I am happy to be back on a set with Akshay Kumar and Rohit (Shetty) sir. On so many levels, Akshay is so special. Ours is a long association and that doesn’t go away with time. When I was standing next to him on the terrace shooting for the photograph that we did to announce the film, I was genuinely happy. It was a good feeling. 

Rohit sir is someone whom I have always admired. The cinematic world that he puts together — the mega franchises (Golmaal, Singham, Simmba) which he has come to be known for — is incredible. People go to theatres to watch a Rohit Shetty film. The larger-than-life cinema he makes is admirable. He is a self-made man and his achievements are commendable.

One hears Salman’s Inshallah and Sooryavanshi will clash next Eid.

Salman loves Akshay, he loves Rohit. He will always be supportive of me in the work place. So, I don’t think he will let his film clash with Sooryavanshi.