Citing lackadaisical responses to dramas like SOTY 2, Tiger Shroff on finding a safe haven in actioners like the upcoming War
MID-DAY (September 4, 2019)

Given that it features two of the biggest action stars — Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff — that Bollywood has seen, War has rightfully amassed abundant attention from cinephiles. But, reduce the trailer to the way it is seen, and it can be argued that for Shroff, this is yet another long chase sequence spanning exotic locales, and starring chiselled torsos and bikini bottoms. He has often stated that he isn't perturbed with the notion of being pigeon-holed. He reiterates in the upcoming September edition of GQ India that being typecast is just another way of finding his identity.

"You think of Shah Rukh sir [Khan], [and] think [he's the] 'Romance King'. You [look at] Salman Khan, [and] think 'Bhaijaan'. Each one of these guys has a label. That's important in an industry that has so much competition. Every time I do something offbeat, [the audience has] not been as kind, to me. [Consider] A Flying Jatt or Student Of The Year [SOTY] 2. In A Flying Jatt, I was a bumbling superhero, afraid of heights, fights and of using powers. In SOTY 2, I was a college guy getting bullied. It didn't go down well with my audience. I don't think they could digest me coming from Baaghi 2 to being beaten up by college students."

In the early years of his career, the baggage of his father's stardom weighed on him just as heavily as Shroff senior's series of erratic financial decisions. In 2002, his mother's production, Boom, leaked on the Internet before its theatrical release. The film tanked. Shroff was 11 at the time, old enough to understand what was going on. "I remember how our furniture was sold off, one by one. Things I'd grown up seeing around us started disappearing. Then my bed went. I started to sleep on the floor. It was the worst feeling of my life." The uncertainty of those years was a powerful motivator. It's one of the reasons he won't experiment much. He'd rather do what he knows, and do it better than anyone else.

Katrina Kaif doesn’t stress over the fact that some things did not happen the way she’d hoped for, reveals Salman is a ‘comforting presence’, admits that the industry has changed over 15 years
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 6, 2018)

It’s a little past noon when Katrina Kaif waltzes into Stage 4 of Mehboob Studio looking as pretty as picture. She instantly asks for a row of air-conditioners to be switched off, before settling into a chairs and turning to look at you expectantly even as life-size cutouts of hers stoopping down to kiss a midget-sized Shah Rukh Khan loom large in the room promoting the first query. Excerpts from the interview…

You play an actress in your upcoming film Zero. Was it easy given your familiarity with the profession or a bigger challenge?
Honestly, it doesn’t matter how alien or familiar the territory is because it’s all about creating a character who is real, believable, connects with the audience and brings (director) Aanand Rai’s vision to the screen. This journey began for me three years ago, I was the first person Aanand sir spoke to once Himanshu (writer Himanshu Sharma) and he finished the script and we have been ideating on it since. We all react to pain and tragedy in different ways and while you and I might sit and cry, Aanand sir was very clear he didn’t want his Babita to be morose and wallowing in self-pity. So, if she was feeling unconfident, for her own sanity and survival, Babita turns brash, bratty, even irrational and obnoxious just to reassure herself she is fine. If she’s sad, she’ll over-compensate with humour, and if she’s happy, she’ll underplay it and turn snide and sarcastic. I’ve known people like this and to play a character who isn’t expressing the obvious emotions, was fascinating for me.

How do you, as a person, project emotional highs and lows?
I’m simple and a little too transparent, not very good at hiding my displeasure. If I’m irritated or hurt or feel I’m being attacked, it’s very evident. But I would prefer not to show my emotions so openly, it’s something I’m working on because as actors, our job is not limited to the film set. We’re also paid to show up at awards functions, promotions and brand events. We have the responsibility of being easy and amiable.

That can’t be easy?
It’s not, which is why I believe it’s important to have the right people around you. In my case, it’s my hair and make-up team, my manager, who inhibit my personal space. They’re people I can trust, who have my interests at heart.

After 15 years, one feels you’ve grown comfortable in this world and have started to ‘own’ characters…
I’ve started thinking about what holds up on screen and makes you want to watch an actor. I don’t know if I’m right in my assumption, but while analysing my journey in the movies, I have come to understand that if an actor doesn’t have something emotionally to give at that point in time, he or she isn’t very watchable. You could be going through a phase — which all of us do — when you are empty inside, and that is not the time to be at work because then you will reflect the emptiness within. That doesn’t mean you have to always be in a happy space, on the contrary you could be going through a rough patch, be in terrible pain, and that could come across on screen. You have to give something of yourself to a performance, apart from just playing a character.

What were you going through while shooting Zero?
The work was inspiring and challenging, but personally it was not a fun place to go to. After a 10-day or a two-week schedule, we’d take a break, and when I got back to the set, I’d confess to Aanand sir that I didn’t want to go back to the deeply sad space where Babita’s obnoxious behaviour stemming from. He’d nod, “I know mere bachche, but kar na.” He was my companion on this journey without being overbearing or making me feel he was doing so much. He knows what he needs to do to help an actor through the process. All three of us, Shah Rukh (Khan), Anushka (Sharma) and me are playing difficult, unusual characters and we needed his support.

Have you ever been in a sad place yourself, when you had to show the world a happily smiling face?
I think all of us have. But whenever I was going through tough times, and there have been quite a few, I think of maybe a mother of four who is going through a messy divorce and still has to go to work where she won’t be pampered like us, and that has helped me carry on, knowing I’m not alone.

You have a wonderful guardian angel in Salman Khan too…
I thought you would say my mother. Of course, Salman is a dear friend, and the best, seemingly bizarre thing, is that we may not speak for weeks, even months. But during this period, if something happens to upset me, he will suddenly show up. It’s strange because at such times, I haven’t confided in anyone for him to know yet he’s there…

And knows that you’re upset?
No, he doesn’t actually. It’s just a strange coincidence and yet somehow comforting. Nothing needs to be said or done, but just the fact that it happens, is reassuring. Beyond that I also feel blessed to have my six sisters and mother who are a great source of support.

Your mother, Suzanne, runs a charity in Madurai, right?
Yeah, she lives and teaches in a school there, working with 200-250 kids from lesser privileged backgrounds. The number may go up to 300 now that we have raised funds for another school. My mom has designed the curriculum herself and teaches them English as it helps to speak the language a bit to get a good job in that region. She’s devoted her whole life to ‘seva’ and it takes a really special person to solely make that your life’s mission. She may not, actually she cannot, guide me on my career or business decisions. If I ask her if I should do a film or buy something, she will say, “I don’t know sweetie, I’m sure you know best.” But when it comes to emotions and morals, she’s a reassuring presence to have in my life as she balances things out.

Is there something you want to do apart from films?
Well, I have to say that though Nicole Kidman is the busiest she has ever been, and an actor today could be working even in her 50s and 60s, but the pace will change, that’s a given. So, you would want to involve yourself in something other than work but not just to further your career or for financial security. It’s important for your sanity. I feel that strongly now. It could be social work or as it is with many women including some of my colleagues, it could be marriage and children.

Is marriage and children on your mind right now?
It was on my mind but it didn’t work out and you have to keep following the path set for you in life. I don’t stress about it now. I fought that battle and am at peace with the fact that some things didn’t turn out the way I had hoped for. Now, I’ve left it to the universe and to God because I’m sure there’s a bigger hand that shapes your destiny. What’s happened to me so far has been unusual and fascinating, and I can’t take credit for all of it. So, whoever is responsible, will look out for me in the future too.

I know love will come to me at the right time when I least expect it. I could drop a book at the airport and as I bend down to pick it up, someone else goes down on his hunches too, to help me. I would look up, our eyes would lock and in that instant… (Clicks her fingers) love would happen!

You actually believe in that kind of Mills & Boon love?
Of course, though believe is not the right word, I feel it. Love doesn’t grow over time, it happens in an instant.

At Depika Padukone and Raveer Singh’s wedding reception last Saturday, draped in a sari you looked beautiful and very different from the Katrina who’d entered the industry 15 years ago. How much have you changed?
Immensely. The other day, footage from my first press interview for Boom popped up on my Instagram, and I found that 17-year-old girl with long hair really sweet. It’s like I’ve grown up here, but as I was telling Farah (Khan, director), the industry has changed. She reasoned that it’s because of the social media. So if you’re at an event or a party or even an interview, you are conscious of the fact that you are being recorded or a camera is on you, and that makes you conscious as you have to be responsible for what’s going to come out online.

What hasn’t changed?
Everything has. Back then, there were no bound scripts and dialogues were written on the set. Phones didn’t have cameras. I’d roam freely on bikes with my friends and hang out at coffee shops at night. There was no paparazzi lurking, the only photographer was pretty much Yogen Shah and if you told him you didn’t want to be clicked, he would put his camera away and go off. I was very young then, and at press meets, he would sometimes gesture to me from the front row to sit up. There was so much of intimacy, it was all so personal... Not anymore.

Ali Abbas Zafar’s period drama Bharat reunites Salman and you…
That’s been an important journey from me and I’m enjoying it immensely. It came at the right time, when I was ready for it.

You stepped in for Priyanka Chopra…
It came unexpectedly but I didn’t look at it with any prejudice or pre-conceived thoughts. I told Ali, “We all know the situation and you know what’s best for us to do here.” He responded saying, “You just tell me your instinct on the script, then we’ll talk about it.” He’s a dear friend, we’ve worked together, yet he didn’t come to narrate the story to me. He sent the script across because he wanted me to react to the material and not get influenced by our personal equation. I immediately fell in love with the story and am excited to be a part of the journey.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 12, 2018)

At a recent event, Katrina Kaif had hinted at the possibility of penning a memoir. When asked about how she rose to the top in an industry where she was an outsider, she had said, "I educated myself [about the industry]. I might write a book [on it]." Looks like Kaif is staying true to her word - mid-day has it that the actor has been approached by a leading publishing house to write a book on her life and her journey in the Indian film industry.

Seeing an inspiring story in her trajectory, the publishing house reached out to the actor in January. A source close to Katrina Kaif reveals, "When Katrina was approached initially, she felt it was too soon to write an autobiography. After much convincing, she has agreed to come on board." The memoir is tentatively titled Barbie Dreams, after her distinction of being the only Indian actor to have a Barbie modelled on her.

Fiercely private about her personal life otherwise, Kaif will use this opportunity to open up to her readers about the different aspects of her life. "The book will focus on her childhood and growing up years. Since she lived in several countries, including Japan, Belgium and London, she will talk about the influence of myriad cultures on her personality," says the source.

Naturally, her meteoric rise in an industry that otherwise battles accusations of being nepotistic will form an integral part of the narrative. "Despite starting with a controversial film like Boom (2003), she will decode how she bagged projects wisely to ensure a long innings in Bollywood."

Kaif is clear that the memoir will not reflect on her real-life love interests. "The story is pitched as a motivational one and anything about her personal life doesn't fit into the template." The publishing house is expected to make an announcement next week.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; April 7, 2014)

Shakespeare may have said, “What’s in a name?”, but in Bollywood, a known last name certainly carries more weight.

Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle, who features in Salman Khan’s first international production, Dr Cabbie, has also added Kaif to her name.

The youngster’s name reads as Isabelle Kaif in the film’s first look that has just been released. Says a source, “Isabelle has taken on Katrina’s last name for her big screen outing as well. It offers easier recognition and a higher recall value.” When Kat started out in Bollywood with Kaizad Gustad’s 2003 film Boom, she was Katrina Turquotte. The film’s producer, Ayesha Shroff, felt that Kat needed an Indian connect since at that time, Indian audiences preferred stars whose names they were familiar with.

Ayesha had initially thought of Katrina Kazi, but later, it was decided that Kazi had religious undertones to it.
As Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif was in the limelight at that time, his name was pencilled in.

Incidentally, the initial brochures for Boom had her name as Katrina Kazi, but that was passed off by the makers as a printing error.