“Sonia comes to India for love” - Katrina Kaif
When you meet Katrina Kaif, you don't tend to go speechless. Your speech starts to have problems. At 11am, I am scheduled to meet her. I arrive on time. She doesn't. Not to worry. It's 11.30am. She arrives and the first thing she does is apologises. That's something of a worry. What do I say? That's when you go speechless. Then after looking at her for half an hour in a closed room you start getting speech attacks. Instead of David Cameron, the next British Prime Minister, you say 'James Cameron'. Then you remind her that she has acted in more than one film with Ranbir Kapoor and she reminds you back that she has acted in only one. That is exactly what happens when you are face to face with this beauty that cannot be described in words, poetry and art. Kaif could have had little idea quite how much it would change her life when she entered the Indian Film Industry and the rest of us, like me, when we actually see her in flesh. Katrina walks in without a smile. She has a bad headache with things not going her way. Too many deadlines and commitments and too little time she tells me. She orders for her favourite green tea. Sips it and then sits on the couch. Then she takes the remote control of the air conditioner and switches it off. Then after a few minutes, on again. This continues throughout our chat. Call her 'lucky' and she accepts it, ask her about speaking in Hindi, and she doesn't. Kaif is very much like a Maggie noodle. In two minutes she will sell you completely, except, that she just cannot be bought. This correspondent gets into the hot seat for a hot chat over some hot black coffee to the hot lady - Katrina Kaif. Caution - The contents are hot!
Lucky
for
the
Indian
Film
Industry?
Do
I
hate
when
people
and
the
critics
and
the
media
call
me
'lucky'?
No.
I
love
it.
It's
better
than
them
saying
that
we
don't
like
Katrina
Kaif
in
a
film.
Imagine
the
day
when
people
would've
been
saying
that
she
is
unlucky
for
films.
I
think
I
should
count
my
blessings
and
see
it
on
a
positive
side
that
'lucky'
is
a
word
but
there
can
also
be
a
better
word
to
describe
me
(laughs).
Language
-
A
barrier?
All
languages
make
you
grow
as
a
person.
I've
travelled
so
much
extensively
throughout
my
whole
life.
It's
not
that
I
came
from
England
to
India.
I
was
born
in
Hong
Kong,
and
then
went
to
Japan,
China,
France,
etc.
Before
I
was
even
twelve
years
old,
I've
travelled
sixteen
countries.
The
more
you
see
in
life,
the
more
aware
you
become
and
make
you
the
person
who
you
are.
From
my
experiences,
all
my
flashback
is
coming
back
to
me
now.
I'm
more
confident
and
understanding
the
Hindi
language
and
its
importance.
When
you
come
to
a
cinema
to
see
my
films,
you
give
me
respect
but
when
I
don't
speak
in
Hindi,
the
same
people
think
that
she
is
acting
pricey.
Katrina
Kaif
-
A
re-defining
moment
(Laughs)
I
don't
want
to
be
re-defined.
I
don't
know
how
to
say
this
without
sounding
wrong.
If
I
say
I
want
to
re-define
myself,
then
that
would
mean
I
am
not
giving
respect
on
the
appropriate
amount
of
recognition
and
gratitude
to
every
person
in
this
country
and
the
NRIs
in
England
who
see
Hindi
movies
and
who've
made
me
successful.
I
cannot
deny
the
fact
that
the
Hindi
Film
Industry
has
supported
me
and
is
supporting
me.
But
mainly,
it
is
my
audiences
which
gave
me
an
overwhelming
support.
Audience
acceptance
came
quite
before
I
got
my
industry
acceptance.
Opinions
-
Audiences
-
Ideas
Critics
have
to
have
their
opinion
because
it
is
their
job.
If
they
don't
have
an
opinion,
they
can't
be
a
critic.
And
I
am
not
saying
that
they
should
have
a
'wrong'
opinion.
They
must
have
one.
I
go
to
see
a
Ridley
Scott
movie
called
Body
of
Lies
with
my
friends
and
we
all
had
an
opinion
on
the
movie.
This
is
a
movie
which
is
made
by
one
of
the
most
talented
filmmakers
in
the
world
and
which
stars
Academy
Award
winning
actors,
and
guess
what?
We
still
have
opinions.
That's
bad.
Just
like
that
people
have
an
opinion
on
me;
I
too
want
to
re-invent
myself
as
an
actor
and
as
a
person
but
without
being
stagnant.
As
a
person,
I
think
my
attention
span
is
like
hell.
I
constantly
need
to
do
new
things.
I
cannot
sit
at
one
place.
If
I
sit
and
do
the
same
kind
of
roles
I'll
start
to
go
insane.
I'll
soon
become
restless
and
frustrated.
I
have
so
many
thoughts
and
ideas
in
my
head
that
I
just
want
to
be
a
part
of
different
kind
of
films.
Prakash
Jha
-
the
soul
searcher
Your
experiences,
what
you've
done
and
where
you
have
lived,
etc.
that
is
what
makes
you
the
person
you
are
and
you
may
not
even
realise
it.
Prakash
Jha
has
so
much
soul
into
the
ideology
of
India,
that
all
his
films
have
that
rooted
Indian
flavour.
That
is
where
he
comes
from.
He
comes
from
a
grass
root
level.
He
comes
from
a
very
intellectual
circle.
He
comes
from
this
world
of
politics.
Not
politics
where
you
are
sitting
in
the
Lok
Sabha.
He
comes
from
the
local
constituencies.
He
knows
them
because
he
has
been
there.
He
knows
the
North
India
inside
out.
He
knows
the
Indian
political
system
and
that's
what
his
movies
reflect
-
the
kind
of
person
he
is.
He
knows
the
grass
root
levels
to
the
top
level.
Raajneeti
is
Prakash
Jha's
most
complete
film.
Anees
Bazmee
v/s
Dibakar
Banerjee
v/s
Anurag
Kashyap
Your
movies
are
going
to
reflect
what
you
want
to
portray.
And
what
you
want
to
portray
is
what
the
knowledge
you
have.
Anees
Bazmee
wants
to
make
comedies
and
he
knows
that.
In
my
opinion,
to
make
a
comic
film
isn't
a
joke.
It's
not
easy
at
all.
I
have
a
sister
who
has
dedicated
the
seven
years
of
her
life
in
doing
something
that
interests
her.
She
has
been
studying
in
the
top
Mathematics
colleges
of
the
world,
The
Imperial
College
and
she
is
now
going
to
be
given
a
doctorate
to
do
free
of
cost
for
her
contribution
to
what
she
has
given
to
the
world
in
the
field
of
Mathematics.
She
is
three
years
younger
to
me
and
is
going
to
be
a
Doctor
in
our
family
the
next
year.
To
her,
I'm
sure
there
are
things
which
seem
trivial
because
she
is
an
intellectual.
People
can't
say
that
I
am
uneducated
but
I
definitely
see
the
value
of
entertainment.
Trust
me,
the
country
we
live
in,
the
kind
of
people
who
go
to
see
our
films;
seventy
percent
of
them
are
still
illiterate.
If
that
is
so,
and
you
are
going
to
make
a
pseudo
intellectual
film,
then
only
thirty
percent
of
your
audiences
are
going
to
see
it.
That's
what
people
are
doing
and
they
are
becoming
successful
in
that
capacity.
Then
I
have
films
which
I
love,
like
Oye
Lucky
Lucky
Oye.
The
maker,
Dibakar
Banerjee
is
a
very
good
friend
of
mine.
He
discusses
a
lot
of
things
with
me
and
so
is
Anurag
Kashyap.
These
are
people
who
love
making
films
for
the
thirty
percent
bracket
audiences.
But
we
cannot
give
any
less
respect
to
those
who
make
films
for
the
seventy
percent
audiences
or
doubt
their
talent.
Ranbir
Kapoor
I
have
seen
Ranbir
Kapoor's
first
film
Saawariya.
I
loved
him
in
Wake
Up
Sid
which
was
again
made
for
those
thirty
percent
audiences.
I
think
the
ability
to
go
both
sides
is
a
special
trait
that
Ranbir
has.
Raajneeti
Raajneeti
isn't
for
the
seventy
or
the
thirty
percent.
It
is
for
the
hundred
percent
audiences.
There
are
very
few
films
that
are
rooted
into
the
culture
of
India.
Raajneeti
falls
under
that
bracket
and
any
film
that
showcases
Indian
culture
will
receive
both
the
sides
of
the
audiences.
Prakashji
has
that
reputation.
His
films
are
urban
as
much
as
they
are
rural.
Tough
audience
-
U.K.
I
think
the
U.K
audiences
are
looking
for
films
that
are
true
to
India
because
most
of
the
people
who
are
going
to
see
Hindi
films
are
the
ones
who
really
love
India,
who
have
lived
in
India
for
quite
a
bit
-
the
N.R.Is.
Those
people
tend
to
have
an
even
stronger
love
and
fondness
for
their
country
than
some
of
those
who
reside
in
India.
They
always
want
to
see
their
country
and
cinema
being
represented
fairly
and
respectfully.
When
you
start
getting
into
slapstick
genres
or
when
you
start
to
get
into
things
which
are
too
kitsch,
is
when
I
feel
that
it
doesn't
work
or
maybe
when
a
film
isn't
a
great
film.
Most
of
the
films
I've
done
with
Akshay
Kumar
have
been
hugely
successful
in
the
U.K
irrespective
of
their
genres.
In
terms
of
Raajneeti,
it's
something
that
we'll
have
to
wait
and
see
because
the
film
is
very
rural.
I
don't
know
whether
it
will
cross
over
but
I
feel
it
will.
I
think
the
U.K.
audiences
will
like
to
know
what's
going
on
behind
the
scenes
of
politics
in
India.
Sonia
Gandhi
What
I
do
in
my
life
doesn't
have
any
relation
to
politics
or
any
politician.
If
it
sounds
very
farcical
and
very
politically
correct,
the
only
politician
I
look
up
to
is
Madam
Sonia
Gandhiji
because
she
comes
to
India
for
love,
she
gets
her
husband
brutally
assassinated
and
then
she
fights
the
system
by
being
a
politician.
She
learnt
the
language
of
India
and
as
a
woman
and
a
foreigner
in
India,
she
rose
above
the
men.
Men
because
I
feel
that
India
is
a
very
male
dominated
country.
It's
beyond
incredible
what
she
has
done
for
India
and
for
their
citizens.
People
can
talk
all
the
crap
they
want
but
to
maintain
that
level
of
power
and
to
have
hold
on
to
it,
it
takes
an
extraordinary
amount
of
courage
and
confidence.
No
to
Politics
I
don't
watch
television.
You
need
to
have
a
basic
knowledge
of
what's
going
on
in
your
country
and
who
is
running
your
country.
Beyond
that,
whatever
interests
you,
it
then
boils
down
to
an
individual.
I
don't
think
you
need
to
watch
any
political
debate
or
any
active
political
programmes
to
understand
the
system
and
prepare
for
your
role.
Draped
in
a
Saree
I
loved
wearing
the
saree
in
Raajneeti.
I
think
it
is
the
most
comfortable
clothing
you
can
wear.
I
am
very
good
at
draping
it
also.
Those
were
the
best
days
of
my
life
when
I
was
covered
in
a
saree
in
Raajneeti,
on
and
off
the
sets.