Bagging four Hindi films within two years makes Kriti Kharbanda feels fortunate about her journey but the actor says her biggest struggle today is to get the right platform to showcase her talent. After making her Bollywood debut opposite Emraan Hashmi in Raaz Reboot, Kriti then worked with Paresh Rawal in Guest Iin London and followed it up with Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana alongside Rajkummar Rao.
In an interview Kriti says the work with which filmmakers approach her "confuses her a little bit." "I still feel the kind of work I want to do, the roles I want to play haven't come to me as yet. They (filmmakers) can form an opinion about you after seeing your work and think you can or cannot do it. I feel I haven't got the right opportunity till date," she says.
While her last Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana may not have worked at the box office, the actor says the film changed the way people within the industry looked at her. "'Shaadi...' made people see me as an actor. A lot of filmmakers called and said I was really good in the film... People from the industry - who never spoke to me, didn't think I was a great actor because they hadn't seen my work - said I can act."
"I am hoping something comes along and gives me that chance to prove what I am capable of. This is definitely my biggest struggle, not having the right platform to be able to do what I think I am capable of," she said.
As an artiste who has been working in the film industry for nearly a decade - her Telugu debut Boni released in 2009 - her confidence has often wavered after not getting the right project. "I used to have panic and anxiety attacks. I dealt with a lot two years ago. It was a difficult time. I was frustrated. I had issues in both personal and professional life."
"I regretted my decision of coming to Mumbai. I thought may be I'm not meant for this industry. But it made me stronger. Giving up wasn't an option for me. If it was an option, may be, I would've given up. Thank God, I didn't," she says.
Kriti, eventually moved to Mumbai and now is on to her fourth film, Veerey Ki Wedding, in which she co-stars with Pulkit Samrat. For the 29-year-old actor, the journey so far - though rewarding - has also been "scary." "I've come to a point where I believe in myself a lot more. I want to get to higher places while being aware that many would want to be where I'm today. I try not to take that for granted," she says.
Veerey Ki Wedding features Kriti as a bride-to-be, almost immediately after her last release Shaadi... The actor had earlier quipped that she now feels like a "professional bride" but she is unfazed that filmmakers might stereotype her.
"The challenge is when you're offered similar roles and you have to play them differently. I don't want people to say 'she performs similarly in every film, there is no versatility'. There is a positive spin to everything. With this film, I just went with my gut feeling. It's difficult to judge a comedy on paper. Choosing this film was honestly just a feeling. I'm really happy with myself. I know I did my best," she adds.
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Veerey Ki Wedding is scheduled to release on March 9.
