After bagging a National Award for Mimi in 2023, actor Kriti Sanon is gearing up for another great year. “I’m really looking forward to 2024. I’ve almost completed three films, which will release this year. It will start with a really quirky love story with Shahid (Kapoor, actor) releasing in February,” says Sanon, adding, “Then, there is The Crew with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Tabu ma’am. The third one is Do Patti, my first production that will release on OTT sometime this year.”

Sanon doesn’t believe in resolutions but for 2024, she wants to focus on “living a lot more”. “I want to spend quality time with my family and have a life beyond work because in the last year, I worked on projects back to back. I also want to focus on quality over quantity as an actor,” says the actor, who made her acting debut with Heropanti (2014).

For Sanon, wearing two hats at once has been fulfilling and “the right set of people” have helped her manage it well. “As an actor, you’re more involved in your character, whereas in Do Patti, I’ve enjoyed turning it into a script — going through various drafts, music and other aspects of its journey,” says the 33-year-old, adding that she has always been “extremely fascinated by every aspect of being a producer”.

As a producer, what is her assessment of the current industry landscape? “Theatres are back and [box-office business] is not going anywhere. Digitally, too, a lot of films have done well. The common factor for these projects has been good content. The audience looks for something unique or larger than life,” she explains.

With Thank You for Coming in theatres and The Crew wrapped up, it might just be the time for producer Rhea Kapoor to go back to the love story that had won her heart years ago. In 2016, she had announced Battle For Bittora, a romantic comedy featuring actor-sister Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan. Seven years on, she still has the rights to Anuja Chauhan’s popular novel.

“Honestly, it’s one of my favourite scripts. It just hasn’t been the right time to start making the film. It’s definitely on the cards,” says Rhea.

Recently, Sonam revealed that Battle For Bittora will be among the films she will front next year, adding that the team is currently looking for the male lead and a director. Chauhan’s novel tells the story of childhood friends-turned-sweethearts, Sarojini and Zain, who battle it out at elections, putting their love to the test. Does the fact that the story is set against the backdrop of a political battle make it a tricky project to pull off? Rhea says that in such subjects, authenticity is the aim.

“I want the story to be told as authentically as possible, and ensure we do full justice to the palette. Right actors are integral to the film. The script is the most romantic one we have worked on. We don’t want to compromise on any aspect.”

It is hard to put together a rom-com in an industry that is obsessed with crime thrillers and actioners. But Rhea has always pushed films she believed in—be it Khoobsurat (2014) or Veere Di Wedding (2018)—and it will be the same for Battle For Bittora.

“Many scripts take a while to get off the ground. Veere Di Wedding was developed over three years. [Work on] The Crew started right after Veere, and it’s done only now. Bittora, too, has been in development for a while. My father Anil Kapoor has a principle: push yourself to make the content better. We work as a boutique production house where development is serious business. I’ll never give up on the movie; it’s my favourite. It will 100 per cent happen. But I want all the pieces to come together.”

Rhea Kapoor; (right) Fawad Khan was the original choice for the male lead

Last November, a leading fashion magazine’s cover featured The Crew actors Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon together. That was enough to send the internet into a tizzy. So, one can only imagine the anticipation around the Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa R Kapoor production. Bringing the three actors, each at the top of her game, together signals the industry’s evolution—it has gone from betting big only on male stars to acknowledging the talent and box-office draw of leading ladies.

But an all-woman film doesn’t come without its challenges. A prime example is the Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt-starrer Jee Le Zaraa, which has yet to go on floors, two years since its announcement. Is it hard to pull off women-centric projects?

Rhea says, “It’s not a good narrative to suggest that women are difficult. We had made Veere Di Wedding [to dispel that narrative]. Leading actresses, much like their male counterparts, are busy professionals with multiple commitments. In such cases, two things are paramount—to align them with your creative vision, and then align them logistically. This is where it becomes a task, but [it works out] if you have the right intention with a film and are focused on it.”

Announced in late 2022, Rajesh Krishnan’s directorial venture rolled in November and is now wrapped up. Rhea deems The Crew her most ambitious project to date, and it’s Ektaa and her faith that made it happen.

“We didn’t give up, no matter what came our way. We have tried something new with this film in terms of plot, treatment and palette. We couldn’t go to Bebo and Tabu, and offer something that they already have done before, and expect them to hop on board. They have done it all in their careers. Everyone put their heads together and we worked hard to offer them something new. I agree it is not easy [to pull off an all-woman film], that’s why so few of them get made. But it’s not impossible.”

The dramedy’s secret sauce is Diljit Dosanjh, reminds Rhea. “Every time people say there are three forces in the film, I remind them there are four. I can’t be more thankful to him for pushing for it to happen.”

Three of Bollywood’s top female actors coming together for a movie—that was reason enough for fans, yearning for more women-led buddy films, to look forward to Jee Le Zaraa. But no ambitious film is without its hurdles. It has been almost two years since director Farhan Akhtar announced the project with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt in lead roles, but matching the three actors’ dates has been an uphill task.

With Chopra now committed to Citadel 2, the makers are looking for an actor to join Kaif and Bhatt. So, who is Akhtar’s choice to complete the trio? From what we hear, Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Sources tell us that a few weeks ago, Kapoor was offered the role. She was an obvious choice considering she is among the biggest superstars in Hindi cinema today. “While Kareena loved the story, she had to give the film a pass. She is already leading an all-woman project in The Crew with Tabu and Kriti Sanon, and didn’t want to repeat the template with Jee Le Zaraa. At this stage, she wants to be part of novel stories belonging to different genres,” says a source.

Additionally, there were date issues for Kapoor, which was Chopra’s problem too. Chopra, who leads Citadel with Richard Madden, is said to be shooting the second season later this year. She was able to allot dates to Jee Le Zaraa only in 2024, which clashed with Bhatt, who would be busy with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra then.

With Akhtar keen to take the road-trip drama on floors later this year, Kapoor would not have been able to accommodate it. The source adds, “Kareena is committed to another project that rolls by the year-end. Plus, she will have extensive promotions lined up for Sujoy Ghosh’s The Devotion of Suspect X and her yet-untitled next with Hansal Mehta.”

Kapoor’s team remained unavailable for comment.

“Lolo (sister, actor Karisma Kapoor) and Tabu have done some stellar films together. So, I am super excited because I have never worked with her,” says Khan, who will star with actors Tabu and Kriti Sanon in The Crew soon. “All of us working on the film are women, including our producers (Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor). These two have always been cool enough to break the mould and do something different. It’s a big screen film and I am pretty sure the audience will love it,” she adds.

Dismissing the notion that female actors don’t get along, Khan says, “I have worked in many women-centric films and alongside many female actors. I think today, it’s about doing a good film, not about who or what’s in it. Everybody just wants to do a good film.”

“Of course, Jab We Met (2007) is ghar ki khichdi, you want to see it again and again. It doesn’t get old. That’s a rarity; every time you watch it, it’s like you are watching it for the first time. It’s just the character,” says Khan, referring to the vivacious Geet.

Every film Khan does is compared to her iconic performances in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Jab We Met (2007). “They are iconic, I understand. But, I feel like people should talk about [my other films like] Chameli (2003), Yuva (2004), Omkara (2006) and Heroine (2012), too. They are underrated in terms of my performance. Why don’t people talk about that? I am also doing The Devotion Of Suspect X; that’s a very different kind of spectrum for me,” she asserts.

There is a palpable shift in the audience’s perception of Kriti Sanon after Mimi (2021). Even though the actor tried to strike a balance between mainstream entertainers and author-backed offerings earlier, it was Laxman Utekar’s directorial venture that made viewers sit up and take notice of her acting prowess. Sanon hopes to maintain the momentum, as she begins this year with Rohit Dhawan’s Shehzada. She will balance the masala film with Adipurush, director Om Raut’s cinematic adaptation of the Ramayana.

“I am finally feeling that people look at me as a star-actor now. I always wanted the actor [in me] to shine brighter than the star. I am glad that is happening now that I have got a bit of validation,” she smiles.

Sanon has her plan laid out ahead. Picking up projects that highlight the actor in her is her top priority. The Crew — director Rajesh Krishnan’s all-female film starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and her — stands true on that count, as does her upcoming venture with Anurag Kashyap. Collaborating with filmmakers who can broaden her horizon and extract the best out of her is another goal.

“I haven’t even tapped into 50 per cent of my potential. At this point, I feel that as an actor, [I] can push myself to a limit, and then [I] need a brilliant filmmaker to push me further. If I have that kind of an opportunity, I can do a lot more,” asserts the actor.

Does she have a name in mind? “The one offer that is not yet on the table is a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film,” she smiles. The filmmaker has a knack for crafting strong female characters, giving his leading ladies roles that they treasure for years to come.

Sanon hopes to wear the tag of a Bhansali heroine some day, as she says, “I would love to do a Bhansali film. So, there is a long way to go. I love the way he presents his actors, the stories and the depth [they carry]. It is every actor’s dream to work with him.”

Happy yet restless — that is Kriti Sanon’s state of mind. Even though her 2022 releases Bachchhan Paandey and Bhediya received underwhelming response, the actor is still reaping the benefits of Mimi (2021). “I am probably in the best phase of my career, but I want to climb higher,” she smiles, ready to open the year with Shehzada. Sanon was looking for something breezy after the intense Mimi, and the remake of Allu Arjun’s Telugu hit Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) seemed like the perfect answer.

“In the ’90s, we used to have films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun that were complete entertainers. Somewhere down the line, they stopped making such films. Shehzada is a modern version of that [genre of movies].”

Rohit Dhawan’s directorial venture is largely centred on Kartik Aaryan’s character. Was she concerned about not driving the narrative? “My role is rewritten from the original. I play a lawyer; the female character in the original wasn’t [one]. My character is independent, strong-headed and doesn’t stand in the background. There are fresh scenes. Shehzada is a male-centric film. [Earlier, such movies] had female characters who were submissive and damsels in distress. That is changing.”

The actor is balancing the masala film with The Crew that sees her alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan and Tabu. You can hear the excitement in her voice, as she says, “I am working with female actors whom I admire; we don’t get to do this very often. This film is all about the camaraderie of the three characters. We are from three different generations, so it will be cool coming together.”

Before The Crew hits the marquee, Sanon will be seen in Om Raut’s Adipurush. The teaser of the Prabhas-starrer was criticized by the audience, but she is hopeful about the final product. “It was just a one-minute-35-second teaser; there is much more to the film. These days, anything you put out gets judged so soon. It’s unfortunate.”

In her showbiz journey over the last nine years, Kriti Sanon has been a part of films of diverse genres. After making her debut with Heropanti in 2014, she made a mark as the quintessential Bollywood heroine in several big-ticket films. But she didn’t stop at that. She went on to pick roles that gave her a chance to push the envelope and showcase her range as an actor. In 2021, Kriti won immense appreciation for her role as a surrogate mother in Mimi and the Filmfare Award for the Best Actress, which was followed by the creature comedy Bhediya last year, a genre that hasn’t been explored in Bollywood much. In a conversation with BT, the actress talks about how she’s constantly changing gears in her career and the surprises she has up her sleeve for the audience this year. Read on...

Success at any time is what we all are looking for, especially in times like these where films are struggling a bit to do what they should do or would have done in another time. So, when Bhediya got the reactions it did and performed well, it gave me a little more confidence in my own choices.

It was one of those films that I was extremely sure of when it came to content. Also, I knew we had done something unique in terms of its VFX. When you are absolutely sure of something and that doesn’t end up working then you start questioning your thought process, your choices and decisions. You start wondering if your choices are still resonating with the audience and that is a scary feeling. Bhediya was, in fact, one of the first few films that I was not nervous about. Sometimes you are aware that the part that you are playing in a film isn’t long in terms of screen time, but it is relevant and there is meat in it. I also did the film for that one twist (in the climax). I am glad Bhediya got the love it deserved.

The audience can probably look forward to far more versions of me. It starts with a very glamorous one which is a family entertainer, followed by probably my biggest film, Adipurush, which I am extremely proud of. Then there is a lot of action coming in with Ganapath, something I have done for the first time. You will see me ride a dirt bike, throw kicks and punches and also use a weapon. I am also doing a quirky love story with Shahid Kapoor. We are teaming up on screen for the first time, so you will see fresh chemistry. Then there is The Crew, which has three women (Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and me) coming together, having a lot of fun and creating something amazing.

No. I don’t think we can make our future choices in retrospect. It isn’t a good way to move ahead. We can’t say... ‘Achcha this has worked, so let me do this’. Because that film has worked at that time. I believe that every film and genre have the right timing. Timing is important in terms of when the film is releasing and what the audience is craving for. I go by my gut feeling and instinct. When I hear a script, I try to see if it gets me excited as an actor, as an audience or both. I don’t want the audience to put me in a box where they say if it is a Kriti Sanon film toh aisi hi hogi. I want to give them a variety of content and characters. After Bareilly Ki Barfi, I was getting small-town roles one after the other. So, I did the war epic drama Panipat. Then I took up a strong and meaty role in Mimi and moved on to the next level. I want to shift the gear constantly and not stay in one particular zone. You have to move on and think what’s next, otherwise you will stagnate.

I have been here for nine years and I am glad that finally people are seeing the actor in me. Having said that, I don’t think I have reached even 50 per cent of what I can do. There is a lot more I can offer. Sometimes the opportunity you get gives you a lot to do and you shine. Sometimes it is limited in terms of what the role is or what the screenplay is. There is only so much for you to perform and do. Then there is a film like Mimi, which gives you the range and kind of scenes where you can go all out and shine. So, it is a matter of getting the right opportunity at the right time. I am just glad that people are seeing me in different zones. I am glad Om Raut saw me as Janaki for Adipurush, Vikas Bahl saw me kicking ass as Jassi in Ganapath, Rohit Dhawan saw me as this glamorous urban girl for my upcoming film, Shehzada. I feel excited and blessed in this phase, which probably is the best of my career. It took a lot of consistency, passion, hard work and belief in myself to get here. It is only when you believe in yourself that someone else will believe in you. I’m happy with where I am today, but I still feel that I am not even close to exploring half of my potential. I want to do more. So, you just believe in yourself and hold on closely to the people who are with you when you are not doing well! I think that is very important, too.