Kriti Sanon tells Mirror reader Ronak Samson about being a model student, struggling in front of the camera and her journey into films
As told to Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 22, 2019)

I have flown with Kriti Sanon several times, having been the chief of flights with an airline, till recently. But I never had the courage to speak to her. Apart from going weak in the knees around her, I also felt that I should respect her privacy. “Now is a chance to say hello and a lot of more,” she says with a wide smile when we meet for this dream interaction.

Being a fan, I’ve followed Kriti’s life and career ever since she made her debut in Heropanti (2014), for which she bagged the Filmfare award for Best Female Debut. While a large part of her life is accessible to her fans through her social media feed, little is known about her childhood. “I was a very shy child. When someone came home, I would hide behind my mother’s dupatta,” she says. But even during her formative years, Kirti remembers being bitten by the film bug. “Every child wants to become an actress, and I was a Madhuri Dixit fan and would copy her dance moves and expressions in front of the mirror,” she shares about her idol.

I had read that Kriti was a good student in school and college, and that her mother was a teacher, like mine. Perhaps the pressure of being a teacher’s child propelled her in academics? “The first child has to go through the pressure of performing in school, and is generally obedient. All night, I would walk while studying and in the morning, my legs would hurt,” shares the actress, who was always “a 90 per cent student and even got a GMAT score of 710”. She adds, “Selective studies came into my life during engineering because you have exams three times in four months.”

Kriti turned to modelling only after college and once friends urged her to consider it since she “had the height for it”. But the 29-year-old actress shares that her initial attempts were miserable. “In my first ramp show, I goofed up the choreography and got screamed at in the green room. Even for my first photo shoot for a big brand, I was very nervous and that came through. I remember going home and crying to my mother about it.” But like a determined student, she kept at it and eventually picked up the essential skills. “Modelling enhanced my personality, groomed me and gave me the confidence to conduct myself,” says the actress, adding that she believes in destiny. “The harder you work, the luckier you get. But I feel that destiny has a way of taking you to where you’re meant to be, and also who you’re meant to be with.” Kriti’s efforts finally paid off when she bagged her first Hindi film while still shooting for her debut Telugu movie. “I have great short-term memory and can mug up lines well, being an engineer. The director of my Telugu film would joke that he cast me only because I could remember my lines,” she laughs.

Moving from Delhi, where she grew up, to Mumbai to pursue a career in films, Kriti remembers the transition wasn’t initially a smooth one. “I didn’t have friends and was glad that work was keeping me busy. But there were days when I felt lonely. I remember calling my mother 10 times in a day at the time.” It’s odd to imagine an actress who has almost 25 million followers on Instagram feeling lonely. As one of her most ardent followers, I was keen to know how she feels about sharing her life with her fans over social media. “I appreciate that they are a part of my life and I am overwhelmed by the fact that they love me without even knowing me.”

Kriti’s final word of advice to her fans sounds like something straight right out of a TED talk. “Find what you are good at by trying new things and experiences. I didn’t know I could act till I tried it. Also, pick a career based on what you enjoy doing because it’s going to occupy a lot of your life — so it better be something that makes you happy.”