Kriti Sanon made her debut with Sajid Nadiadwala’s Heropanti. She got her big Bollywood break with Jackie Shroff’s son Tiger, who took the major share of recognition, leaving her with the tag of ‘Tiger’s heroine’. Since then, she has come a long way, carving a niche for herself in the film industry with blockbusters like Bareilly Ki Barfi, Luka Chhupi, and Bhediya among others. She won a National Award for performance as a surrogate mother in Mimi. However, it took years for her to shed the label of Tiger’s heroine.
While opening up about her initial years in the film industry, Kriti revealed that she used to be called ‘Tiger Didi’. In an interview, the actress said that filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s children used to address her as ‘Tiger Didi’, that’s when she determined to change the tide. “When you are not from the industry (film family), it takes longer for you to etch your name and face into the minds of people. At that point, the kids of Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, who later directed Bareilly Ki Barfi, used to call me ‘Tiger didi.’ Those were the instances when I realised I would have to work doubly hard to get people to recognise me and know me for who I am,” she told Indian Express.
Talking about her debut film, Kriti shared it didn’t take her long to get her first break. “At the time of Heropanti, though people knew Tiger and that the movie marked his launch, the director and producer treated the movie as launching two new faces. I got the quintessential Bollywood heroine moment too, with songs and everything,” she added. Heropanti, the remake of the Telugu film Parugu (2008), was a commercial success grossing Rs 78 crores worldwide upon its release.
Meanwhile, Kriti is currently promoting her upcoming Netflix thriller, Do Patti co-starring Kajol. She plays a dual role in the upcoming Shashanka Chaturvedi directorial, which will be released on October 25, 2024.
