She’s fantastic; she’s fashionable and a breath of fresh air. She’s a sure-shot pulse-stopper who is wise about matters of the heart. Light hearted and effortlessly chic, Kareena Kapoor Khan makes for the perfect muse for any filmmaker. She charms you with her warmth and vivacity like no other! The Bollywood beauty has come a long way since her debut over a decade and a half ago and recently starred in the highly anticipated Singham Returns.
Q What made you decide to be part of the film, Singham Returns?
I decided to be a part of the film because the director of this film is Rohit Shetty. Every actress wants to work with him. In my career or film journey he has given me Golmaal Return and Golmaal 3 both huge hits and Singham Returns is going to make a hatrick success. In this film Rohit Shetty has given me a very interesting and different character to play. The fact is that Rohit wrote this character keeping me in mind to essay the character. My character in the film is actually a very funny person and the scenes are hilarious. The comedy in this film is two notches higher than the other comic films I have done so far. Rohit makes larger than life films and he is the king of action and comedy. We have a great track record.
Q Could you tell us about your role in Singham Returns?
I have played the role of a Maharashtrian girl in this film who is named Avni. She is a hair dresser and she is definitely adorable. She speaks a lot, is almost a blabbermouth [while] Bajirao Singham hardly speaks. The story revolves around how Avni traps and tries to get Bajirao to fall in love with her.
Q Did you have to learn Marathi to get into the skin of the character Avni in the film?
The character that I am playing is Maharashtrian so I am going to be seen talking in Marathi. I learnt how to speak Marathi properly on the set while shooting for the film. We had many unit members who are Maharashtrians besides I learn languages very easily. I have mouthed a lot of Marathi abuses in the film. So in many ways than one, it was great fun shooting for the film.
Q And to think, you even had to ride an autorickshaw in the film!
Oh yes! Now I have another career to bank on. And if I want I can become the first lady autorickshaw driver in the country!
Q The audience generally sees you in commercial movies. Do you have any future plans to try a different genre?
Commercial films are given more importance in our country. Viewers want to get entertained while watching a film. I am proud of the fact that I have worked with or done commercial films with Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and many names to reckon with. And my character in each of those films, have been note-worthy and vital. Every director and actor perceives me as a fine actress or artist and has immense respect for me. Even the viewers and my fans love to see me in commercial films. I don’t need to go out to prove myself. I do roles that I believe in and I joined the movie industry to be a star first and then an actress. I am doing films that I want to do, I did Heroine which tanked but that was also necessary. I am very happy being a part of Rohit’s films and then there is Kabir Khan’s next.
Q Does your character have any action scenes in the film?
Actually I have a comic role in the film but I have fair bit of action sequences to follow as well. Besides there plenty of Marathi abuses so it’s all in pure fun!
Q Do you ever feel that commerical movies or movies which have plenty of action often don't have much for the actresses to do?
But this is not the case for Singham Returns. This is a complete entertainer. And my character is as important as the film’s hero, Ajay Devgan’s character in the film. And why would you talk of Bollywood films only? Even in Hollywood films like Bourne Identity or Bourne Supremacy or even James Bond, there commercial films don’t offer much for the actresses. And even then actresses like Anjelina Jolie work for such movies. Every top actress is seen in such films. [An] action film does not mean that the actress has nothing to do or sit and twiddle her thumbs in the film. For an actress to showcase her acting skills, she needn’t take up only heroine oriented films. To be a part of entertainers or commercial films, an actress needs to have immense patience, talent, [and] tolerance.
Q Having done films like Jab we Met and now Singham Returns, would you say they are easier or more relaxing to work in?
Well, its not like that. It’s a different charm all together to be working in a commercial entertainer. And I completely love being a part of such films. In my career so far, people have loved watching me in commercial entertainers, whether its Golmaal 3 or Bodygaurd. Besides I had a lot of scope to act or my characters had a lot to depict in the said films. The heroines have always been prominent in these films. So much so that in the movie Bodyguard, there is a fine love story between Salman and my character. Needless to say, masala or commercial films are going to be a part of me.
Q What did you think of your characters in movies like Jab We Met, Golmaal, and Singham Returns?
All the three films are different for me. The characters, the roles and the films are varied so you cannot compare them really. Jab We Met had Geet who was unusual, though an Avni in Singham Returns is also raring to get married. But the difference is that Avni in Singham Returns is a feminist but not much of an extremist like Geet from Jab We Met. In this movie, I play my age while in Golmaal I played a complete tomboy.
Q We heard that Singham Returns touches upon some real issues?
In this film DCP Bajirao Singham is a hero for the common man. He fights for issues that the common man can relate to. Here he fights against black money corruption. So he would go and fight to remove the perils of black money in the country and fight against the corrupt people and politicians in the film. Apart from black money, this film also deals with the bad doings of some of the politicians and the help that the police force has provided the country. The movie shows what’s actually happening around us.
Q You seem to be doing fewer films and have refused quite a bit of work lately, why is that?
Well, my priorities have definitely changed and I don’t want to end up giving 200 days to a film. I am happy balancing out work and personal life.
Q You don't seem to be seen much in public either, except while promoting your films. Are you on any social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter?
As an actor I like to talk about my work and nothing else. I prefer to talk about my films, work and my priorities. Both Saif and I are not on any social networking sites and like it that way. We have a lot of friends who post pictures on social networking sites but we are far from it. We are very private people.
