Kriti Sanon whose upcoming films, Bareily Ki Barfi and Lucknow Central are set in Uttar Pradesh, will be learning the local language to make her portrayal more convincing. The actress who debuted with Sajid Nadiadwala's Heropanti has been doing a lot of research on the culture, body language and diction of the state.

“We are doing workshops and readings together with director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari for Bareily Ki Barfi. One person from our team is from UP and he is helping us with the diction. I am also watching a few videos of locals giving speeches and trying to pick up words they pronounce differently. My character in Bareily Ki Barfi is from a small town but in Lucknow Central I'm a strong-headed and well-educated NGO worker,“ the actress pointed out.

In Bareily Ki Barfi, a sweet romcom Kriti will be seen alongside Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajukummar Rao, while Lucknow Central features Farhan Akhtar.

What's a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communications doing in Bollywood? Cavorting with other engineers, you are informed with a laugh. If Kriti Sanon doesn't feel like a misfit, it's thanks to friends who're in the same boat. “I know many engineers who are now a part of the film industry, including Sushant (Singh Rajput), Chetan (author Chetan Bhagat) and Raj and DK (directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK)." After her debut alongside Tiger Shroff in Heropanti and Dilwale opposite Varun Dhawan, Kriti now has a trio of films to look forward to - Dinesh Vijan's directorial debut, Raabta, with Sushant, a love story around dreams and destiny, a romcom set in a small town, Bareily Ki Barfi, also featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao, and Nikkhil Advani's music-based Lucknow Central, with Farhan Akhtar, in which she plays a social worker. Coming from a non-film background, Kriti doesn't have a godfather or a mentor who she can consult, so she's learnt to rely on her instincts. “I didn't get a script for Raabta but Dinoo (Vijan) gave me a narration and I just decided I'd do the film. Sometimes, I get my mom to read scripts if she's in Mumbai. She really liked Bareily Ki Barfi.“

Since she began shooting for Raabta in April, she has been linked with co-star Sushant Singh Rajput and even blamed for his split with long-term girlfriend, Ankita Lokhande. Kriti brushes off such talk dismissively, “Both Sushant and I come from a non-film background and though I've been in the industry for a lesser time than him, we understand that these rumours are beyond our control and we can't let them affect us or our personal equation.“

However, Kriti admits that it's taken her a while to adjust to it. “Slowly I'm becoming immune to it. But it affects my family who are still getting used to it. All this has happened so fast,“ she sighs.

The mood lifts when she starts discussing work. “Ashwiny (Iyer Tiwari), the director of Bareily Ki Barfi, went on a recce recently and sent me pictures of the house which will be mine in the film. My character speaks with a UP accent so the diction will be a major part of the prep,“ she reveals. September is going to be prep month for Kriti who will also start work on her prison drama. “I'm not allowed to speak about Lucknow Central but it's a concept never attempted before in Bollywood,“ she says enigmatically, pointing out that she's always wanted to do action and though Raabta is a love story, she has some action sequences.

On March 15, the actress had retweeted the first teaser of Sushant starrer Dhoni: The Untold Story, saying, “Love the teaser! Can't wait to watch the inspiring journey of @msdhoni and @itsSSR... no one could play him better than u!“ Now, she wants to do a biopic herself. “I want to do a sci-fi and a biopic next. I don't know who I would want to play but it's really interesting that for a change you don't have to build a character; you have a live person to portray. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was a biopic that really inspired me,“ she signs off.

After winning rave reviews for her debut feature, the Swara Bhaskar-starrer Nil Battey Sannata, and tak ing over the reins from Sameer Sharma for Aanand L Rai's Manmarziyan with Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is gearing up all for her next outing.To be produced by Junglee Pictures and BR Studios, Bareily Ki Barfi, features Ayushmann with Kriti Sanon and Rajkummar Rao.

“It's a unique romcom rooted in Uttar Pradesh. We start shooting in the first week of October after conducting a few workshops with the actors in September,“ confirms Priti Shahani, President of Junglee Pictures.

Priti shares that in the film, Ayushmann owns a printing press, Rajkummar is an author and Kriti plays a liberated, forward-thinking UP girl. Ayushmann recently completed a successful tour of the US and Canada. He was joined by playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan on the musical concert. The actor plays a Bengali babu in Akshay Roy's romcom, Meri Pyaari Bindu, which will bring back Parineeti Chopra from a long hibernation. In Manmarziyan, a love story, he returns to his Punjabi roots. He came out with a new T-Series single “Yahin Hoon Main“ featuring his Vicky Donor co-star, Yami Gautam. The song, released on YouTube, had the two playing a romantic couple, who meet, fall in love and then get separated when Ayushmann's band members meet with an accident. He has another single coming up with Amy Jackson, titled “Halka Halka“.

Meanwhile, Kriti has just wrapped up a schedule of Dinesh Vijan's Raabta with Sushant Singh Rajput in Mauritius. Rajkummar who was last seen in Aligarh, has wrapped up Ramesh Sippy's Shimla Mirchi, Vikramaditya Motwane's next and Amit Masurkar's Newton.

What's with the quirky title? “It's a fun film. Kriti's family owns a mithai shop and that's where the story takes off and hence the title. I always say Kriti is my Bareily Ki Barfi in the film,“ adds Kapil Chopra from BR Studios.