Gravity-defying action sequences are a staple of the Rohit Shetty brand of films. While they leave the sober ones scratching their heads, there are those who jump off their seats in awe every time an actor sends an SUV flying into the air with the touch of a finger.
While Dilwale is expected to be laced with the same visual element, the film is also featuring new girl on the block, Kriti Sanon, whose infant career itself is in gravity-defying mode. Dilwale is only her second Bollywood innings, and what a dream it is turning out to be for the newcomer. During an exclusive conversation with The Express Tribune, Kriti recalls how it all happened. She received a phone call one day and was informed that Rohit wants to see her. “I met him and in no time I had signed up for the project.”
The model-turned-actor firmly believes it has been an opportunity of a lifetime. “It couldn’t have been bigger than Dilwale,” she says.
In the film that is set to hit theatres on December 18, Kriti essays the character of Ishita, a simple girl who falls for Veer (Varun Dhawan) due to his honesty. Kriti says the girl evens out the loud characteristics of others in the film. “I am louder than Ishita in real life,” she quips, adding Rohit had this exact mould of the girl-next-door type for her in his mind.
Teaming up with Varun alongside arguably one of Bollywood’s most loved on-screen couples, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, meant pressure and nervousness were an almost given. However, that is not the case. “There was no pressure at all. Everyone was very friendly and encouraging,” she says.
Kriti has time and again cited Shah Rukh as one of her childhood film idols with whose on-screen characters she has learnt to laugh and cry. “We were shooting in Goa and Shah Rukh visited the sets. The moment I saw him, from being all chirpy and animated I went quiet,” she laughingly states. Interestingly, when Ishita and Raj (Shah Rukh) cross paths for the first time in Dilwale, she scolds him. “Yes I was nervous because I didn’t want to make him do several takes. But I was never intimidated. He was so supportive all throughout.” Shah Rukh has this air about him that almost every co-star does not shy away from mentioning. “He encourages everyone and helps out so much, even during rehearsals.”
Kriti’s fangirl moment
Not so long ago, Kriti sat for her GMAT and decided to continue her education if things do not turn out well in the industry. After Heropanti and now Dilwale, there is certainly no looking back. “Now those [her scores] are no longer needed,” she says, and rightfully so. Kriti is an engineer by profession and read for an electronics and communication degree in college.
Kriti is aware of the fact that Bollywood is no longer the same industry as the one she grew up watching. The boost in production avenues has opened the floodgates for newcomers to test their luck in the industry. Looks are no more a rarity; even family connections help little. The girl who is on her own in this competitive work environment, states, “Looks are not enough to help sustain a film career. There is a lot more required in the long run. Today all sorts of films are being made. There are films being made on women-oriented subjects; a lot of work is going on. The model is such that you need the X factor in order to survive.”
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