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#KritiSanon #SushantSinghRajput #Raabta under water #Photography by @luminousdeep #twitter http://ift.tt/1QmRv8E

Kriti Sanon on industry competition, relationships and intense preparation for Raabta

Young star Kriti Sanon is getting used to the limelight. She's also getting used to staying in the news courtesy the speculation around her relationships. But she's not freezing with the attention. Nor are there any knee-jerk reactions from her side. Keeping a level head, she prefers focussing on her films instead. Dinesh Vijan's Raabta with Sushant Singh Rajput is anticipated as an event film. There's also a possibility that Kriti might be Salman Khan's heroine in the Bodyguard sequel.

In the light of Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged split with long time girlfriend Ankita Lokhande, Kriti's closeness with her Raabta co-star has invited much speculation. She chooses to turn a deaf ear to the hearsay. Right now, it's work which is her obsession. Talk about her co-star and she states that Sushant is a perfectionist. Also, he's extremely competitive as an actor. "He's well-prepared as he rehearses beforehand. He does research, like if he has to shoot a stunt sequence; he watches several videos and picks out the best for his act. As Dinesh (Vijan) says, he's a great student. He follows everything to the T. It's a blessing to have a co-star like him." She reveals that she's spontaneous while he's rehearsed hence their combination works well. "We throw each other off guard while performing our scenes," she smiles and says further, "As a person too, he's extremely caring. While dong some stunt workshops, I hurt myself. He took great care of me. He made sure I was alright."

Not long ago, Kriti was linked up with model Gaurav Arora. She calls him her friend. "He's a friend I've known since my modelling days. I have few friends here in Mumbai. I don't know why we were linked up. Maybe, someone saw us walking out of a restaurant. But I'm prepared for such talk now. Tomorrow, I'll be spotted walking out of a restaurant with a co-star and I'll be linked with him. It's better not to discuss these things," she asserts.

The year has witnessed a lot of showbiz relationships biting dust. Kriti believes this is just a phase and not typical of the industry. "Relationships are fragile everywhere and not just in the film industry," she claims. "As an actor, you happen to spend months away from your partner, doing romantic scenes with your co-stars. It becomes difficult to maintain relationships." She however claims that staying faithful in a relationship is important to her. And that goes for her partner too. "Perhaps, that's where things fall short," she muses "If I ever get into a relationship, I wouldn't want to talk about it. I'd never want people to discuss my personal life. It's not about lying or denying, you need to keep it private to protect yourself. I come from a middle class Punjabi family. I don't know how relatives would react to boyfriends and such stuff."

She's been receiving compliments galore for her porcelain beauty. But being known as a good actor is her key concern. She says she's willing to work hard to achieve that. It's easy to do commercial films, look good and dance well. But there's a part of her that craves to perform. "When I don't get that, I feel restless. It's important to strike a balance between doing art and commercial films." Raabta is the movie she's working extra hard on. Playing the character demands physical skills. There are underwater sequences where she's required to emote too.

So she's learning to swim and scuba dive. She's also learning horse riding and undergoing weapons training. She feels lucky to be part of such a unique film. "Usually, actors choose films but sometimes films choose you. I believe Raabta is a film I was meant to do," she says reminiscing, "I've been meeting Dinu (Dinesh Vijan) even before I signed Heropanti. Then, mid last year, when I met him for a narration of another film, he happened to share the story of Raabta. The story got stuck in my head. I told Dinu that I'd like to do this particular story." Sushant was already on board. She adds, "Dinu called Sushant and me to the office and asked us to read out a scene. He then took us to Alibaug for a look test. On our way back, he excitedly exclaimed, I'm making it.' That's how Raabta happened."

But she insists she owes her stardom to Shah Rukh Khan's and Rohit Shetty's blockbuster. Dilwale, which increased the reach of her audience. "I don't know how many people saw Heropanti. it wasn't a big-budget film and had newcomers. But Dilwale reached people within India and abroad as well. It even reached countries like Lebanon and Iraq, where Hindi movies don't usually release. To be recognised on such a large scale in my second film was a huge deal!" exclaims Kriti. She knows better than to take her stardom for granted. "I don't get satisfied easily. I was chatting with Ranveer (Singh) the other day. He believes Band Baja Baaraat is still his best performance. He feels sad that his first performance is still his best. That's not the case with me. I'm satisfied with the way my career has gone so far." She's blessed to have a balanced temperament.

"I didn't rush my decisions. This is one mistake we newcomers commit because there's so much competition around. We live in a fast world. You can get restless if you're sitting at home. You can end up signing the wrong films for the wrong reasons. Sometimes, we artistes have these artificial deadlines in our head, which can make us desperate. Thankfully, people around me help me compose myself if I ever panic." She has bittersweet feelings about life under the spotlight. "There are pros and cons. Sometimes, you feel good when people recognise you. Like when you're in the car and these kids selling things at the signal surround you and sing and dance to your songs." But she does pine for me' time. "I'm not used to so much attention. I like my private moments. Like eating paani puri at a roadside stalls.

I like roaming around in rickshaws. I enjoy driving but I can't do that anymore. But I do go out for night drives. There is a part of me that wants to be carefree." She also does not appreciate the change in behaviour her stardom has brought out in others. "The saddest part is when your relatives' behaviour towards you changes. It bothers me. I don't want people close to me to behave differently now that I'm an actress. I'm not a star where they are concerned. It feels weird." Like any other girl, she has her own set of fears. She's scared to think of a time when she might not be able to perform. And such days do come. She grimaces, "You can get insecure about not getting the kind of roles you want or not being able to work with a certain director. You need to reach a certain level to achieve that. At some point, you want to be part of the race." Now that's candid talk.

Published Date: May 05, 2016

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=89565&boxid=36140&ed_date=2016-05-05&ed_code=820004&ed_page=1

NEW TWIST IN KRITI-SUSHANT STORY