Zareen Khan recalls ‘bad life’ after Veer, how comparison with Katrina Kaif backfired for her: ‘I was called a…’

Written By Riya Sharma | Updated: Jul 31, 2024, 08:52 AM IST

Katrina Kaif and Zareen Khan

Zareen Khan says life after Veer was 'very bad' and recalls how comparisons to Katrina Kaif affected her career.

Zareen Khan made her grand Bollywood debut alongside Salman Khan, however, the film failed to perform well at the box office. After the film, the actress was called Katrina Kaif's lookalike. Now, the actress has shared about her life after the film and how being compared to Katrina impacted her career negatively. 

In a podcast with Haarsh Limbachiyaa and Bharti Singh for their YouTube channel, when asked about her life after Veer, Zareen Khan revealed, "Life after Veer was very bad for me, I got a lot of criticism. The film was a life-changing moment for me. Initially, I felt very happy that I was being compared to Katrina Kaif, but within the industry, things kept getting worse. For me, who used to be overweight, being compared to Katrina was huge, but it all backfired. I felt like a lost child in the industry, plus there was hesitation. I didn’t know most people here but they started to feel I was arrogant because Salman Khan launched me.”

She further added that she even thought of staying at home and not going out after facing harsh criticism. She said, "There was a time I was even scared to step out of my house because people would comment on my clothes. That comparison went in a very negative way. I was given so many names, that at one point, I wanted to just sit at home. They all saw me as a failure." 

Zareen Khan recalled how she didn't get work after Veer for a long time and how the perception of people towards her changed. She said, "I was not getting work for a very long time after Veer. My perception about myself changed after the song ‘Character Dheela’ in Ready. That time, I was taking up whatever work was coming to me. I don’t come from a wealthy household, I am the sole breadwinner of my house, so at that time, I wanted a job to run my home. Then Hate Story came, but it was a very weird time in my life…”

Zareen Khan was last seen in the movie Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele alongside Anshuman Jha, Ravi Khanvilkar, Gurfateh Pirzada, and Nitin Sharma in key roles. After this, the actress has only be seen in some of the music videos. She is quite active on social media and keeps her fans upto date with her whereabouts. 

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