Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; July 25, 2019)

Fresh from the success of Luka Chuppi earlier this year, Kriti Sanon is back with her next, Rohit Jugraj’s spoof comedy, Arjun Patiala. But that’s not all, she has two more releases lined up before the year draws to a close. The actress strongly feels that what matters to her the most is that her characters strike a chord with the audience. Ahead of the release of Arjun Patiala, also starring Diljit Dosanjh, she tells us how she wants to grow with every film, not limit herself to any particular genre, and the discrimination faced by actresses in Bollywood. Excerpts…

In an earlier interview with BT, you had shared how you had to wait for Heropanti to release before you bagged your second film. Now, with four films in one year, including Luka Chuppi (already released), Arjun Patiala, Panipat and Housefull 4, 2019 seems to be your year. How does it feel?
It feels great to be a part of different films. Four releases in a year is a first for me and it’s a difficult number to keep up with, but I want to do more work. I wish to do something different with every film. The year started off well, with Luka Chuppi performing well at the box office. When your thinking matches with that of the audience and they like your film, then you feel confident that you are on the right track. It’s important that people feel that I am getting better with every film. I want to do what I believe in and not get carried away with what’s supposed to be a hit formula, because there is none. Besides, I don’t want to pressurise myself with the thought that whatever I do has to be a hit. I am aware that fate changes every Friday in this industry. One can go wrong with his/her judgment, and it’s not necessary that I end up liking what the audience likes and vice-versa. There might be a day when I expect viewers to like my film and they won’t. It’s okay to go wrong and have a difference of opinion with the audience. I will be happy as long as I have gained something from the journey and have done my job with conviction.

Also, I feel that it is best to rely on your gut instinct, because then, you won’t have any regrets. In that sense, I resonate with Geet’s (Kareena Kapoor’s character) dialogue in Jab We Met, ‘Meri zindagi jaisi bhi hai meri wajah se hai’. Talking about reaching the position that I am in today, there is a lot of satisfaction, as I have done it on my own; of course, with the help of people who believed in me and supported me. In the beginning, this world (Bollywood) was very new and almost like a dream to me. People take long to put a name to a face. So, it feels great when the audience connects, with you and appreciate your work. It happened with me in Bareilly Ki Barfi (BKB), when people suddenly started recognising me as Bitti. It’s a great feeling to be recognised by your character.

Interestingly, Bitti is a simple, small-town girl. While you have played glamourous characters in some of your films, it’s the small-town girl avatar (in Luka Chuppi,too) that has gained you more popularity...
In real life, I am a simple, middle-class girl and connect with middle-class values. So, I find such characters extremely relatable. Having said that, small-town girls are often bolder than their urban counterparts. The success of BKB changed things for me, because earlier, people couldn’t envision me in that world. In fact, even I did not see myself belonging there. I was pleasantly surprised that people accepted me as Bitti and then, I was inundated with offers of small-town characters. That’s what happens in this industry, it takes just one character to break an image. Nowadays, more films are being made with small towns at the backdrop. In fact, I recently told someone, ‘Yaar, main shooting ke liye kaafi time se baahar nahi gayi hoon, I am doing the rounds of Lucknow, Gwalior, Mathura, and Chandigarh (laughs!)’. I would love to shoot a film with a great script abroad, in which I get to wear hot pants and look glamourous. That’s not happened in a while for me. Of course, I try to offer something new to the audience. Case in point is Arjun Patiala, which is a spoof comedy. It’s different from what has been attempted in the comic genre in Bollywood. My character is a crime reporter from Firozpur, and you can’t mess with her. She is hardcore, fearless and passionate about her work, but is against violence.

Talking about Luka Chuppi, it must have been upsetting when a section of people attributed the success of the film to its male lead (Kartik Aaryan), though you deserve as much credit for it…
In fact, Kartik and I were talking about it a few days ago. There weren’t actually too many people who contributed to this debate. The conversation started after a headline stating ‘Mr. Bachchan’s Badla and Kartik Aryan’s Luka Chuppi do well at the box office’, surfaced. Taapsee (Pannu) pointed it out and tweeted that female actors have also worked in these films. Though it happens at times, I think most people are scared nowadays about not mentioning the work of female actors; they fear that we might tweet about it (laughs!). Once the conversation started, Arjun (Kapoor) and I also tweeted because a similar incident happened when they started talking about the clash of Panipat (which features Kriti and Arjun) and Pati Patni Aur Woh (Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar, Ananya Panday). There are times when actresses are not given as much importance as the actors, even when it comes to mentioning them in the headline. You don’t call a romantic film a girl’s movie. Some people have a tendency to write in detail about the male lead’s performance and just two lines describing the leading lady’s work. That, too, they focus more on how pretty she looked. Now, that’s upsetting. Even if you didn’t like my performance or want to criticise me, please write about it. I would love that feedback. Having said that, not everyone does it. The scenario is changing and it will probably get better with more people addressing the issue. I always treated Luka Chuppi as my film and am glad that it did well. I avoid paying attention to negativity, as it spoils my happy moments.

What about reports suggesting that you stopped talking to Kartik after this incident?
We clarified that in our own fun manner because sometimes, things are blown out of proportion and you wonder where these reports are coming from. We just laughed it off.

Though actresses are doing phenomenally well in the industry (as far as their performances are concerned), issues like the one we just spoke about and other concerns like actresses not getting scripts that justify their talent, are areas where they are still seen fighting their battles. Your thoughts...
The main disparity I notice is that it’s easy to ride a film on the hero’s shoulders. However, in recent times, we have seen women-centric films enjoying a great run at the box office. I have been offered 10 women-centric films in the last two months and I look at it as a good start. When an actor does commercially well, producers and directors become more confident in resting the film on his/her shoulders. Today, actresses are pushing the envelope and want to do performance-oriented roles. They no longer want to settle for two songs and two scenes. At the same time, there is nothing wrong in doing two songs and two scenes in a film, if it is impactful and takes the narrative forward. It’s not always the length of the character, but the relevance of the part that matters more.

Moving on to your personal life, with such a busy schedule, do you have time for love and relationships?
Falling in love doesn’t need time, staying in love does. Maintaining and building a relationship needs time. It’s important to have a two-way communication in any relationship. Work is a part of your life, but not your entire life. So, I make sure that whenever I get time off work, I go on holidays, spend time at home, or call my friends over and chill with them. Love is not just about that special someone, but also about your family and friends. If you are talking about a special someone, I would love to fall in love, but it needs to be organic and that hasn’t happened yet.