Katrina Kaif talks about Phantom, Kabir Khan, Saif Ali Khan..

Phantom is your third film with director Kabir Khan. What kind of rapport do you share with him?

Kabir and his wife Mini Mathur are two of the dearest friends I have in the industry. Starting from New York, he has been an important part of my journey. I was on the brink of discovering myself and finding my feet as an actor when I did that film. I was beginning to work with people who would respect me as an actor. Kabir allowed me to express myself and find my voice, and not be conscious or inhibited.

And New York gave you your first critical acclaim.

I would say Namaste London brought me that. For the first time, reviews spoke about my performance. New York, one of my more critically-acclaimed films, came a bit later.

So have you tried to up your acting skills further with Phantom?

Everyone tries to do that with every film. So do I. It is not reserved for a particular film. With every film, we try our best. Some click more than others. However, I have been extremely fortunate with the appreciation and audience acceptance of my films.

You have not had too many releases in the last couple of years.

I would have liked another film to release between Bang Bang and Phantom. I stressed, fretted and panicked over it. Now, I am over that phase and very Zen-like about it. If one is going to have a career that's going to span over many years, there are bound to be phases. After Phantom, I have Fitoor and Jagga Jasoos and Nitya Mehra's untitled film coming up in the next year.

How was the experience of working with Saif Ali Khan?

We did work together in Race. Race is a multi-starrer and different people remember it for different reasons. Some people remember the songs, others, the action. I had a great time with him. For the song Zara zara, I worked harder while he was chilling. In Phantom, we have shared the load equally.

Kareena Kapoor has been effusive in her praise for you. Has that strengthened your bond with Saif and her?

The great thing about Saif and Kareena is that they both maintain their individual equations and relationships. Just because they are married to each other does not mean that they have to feel the same way about everybody. The fact that Kareena has always been very warm towards me and I have a soft spot for her, is irrelevant to Saif. It's nice that we all get along, but the equation is based on individual rapport.

You once said that you are tired of being an arm candy. Are you getting meatier roles now?

The transition to essaying meatier roles happened very naturally. Today, I am fortunate to have found the kind of roles I was looking for.

Your Hindi used to be a talking point earlier. How comfortable are you with the language now?

Luckily, I am not a scriptwriter, who might have to struggle with the language. We get the scripts with dialogues written. We have to put in a little extra effort to deliver them correctly. Even if Hindi were my first language, I would have put in that effort.

Do you follow a process when you take up a new role?

These days, I have embraced the process of rehearsals and workshops. If I have to do a song, then I make sure I have enough rehearsal time. Agneepath's Chikni chameli was shot over eight days but prior to that, we had rehearsed for more than a week.

Is there a reason why you are not on social media?

I have not done this before. Sometimes, I see a lot of nasty comments. Abhishek Bachchan had to respond to similar tweets. However, I can see its amazing benefits too. I have to figure out how to do it.