Long time no see, Kareena Kapoor Khan says in lieu of a greeting last Saturday when t2 met her at the Sun 'n' Sand Hotel in Juhu, Mumbai. It's been a while since Kareena was last seen on the big screen. Two years to be exact. "I missed this... all the excitement as the release comes closer, she says. Kareena's first movie outing since giving birth to son Taimur is Veere Di Wedding, releasing on June 1.
In a freewheeling chat, Kareena talks about her Veere co-stars Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania, her post-baby body and Taimur.
What kind of a relationship do you share with your Veere Di Wedding co-actresses?
I think that the four of us were perfect choices for the movie, because we respected each other as professionals and at the same time, it was a super fun group of women. I've known Sonam forever... she's a darling and a super girl, and Swara and Shikha are outstanding. I jokingly keep asking Swara why she has to intellectualise everything, just because she's an intellectual actor and I'm a commercial one. We keep having fun like that. Shikha, I think, is supremely talented.
I heard that Rhea Kapoor, who's co-produced this film, thought you wouldn't be interested...
(Laughs) Yeah... People were used to seeing me in typical Bollywood films, either with a Salman or a Shah Rukh or an Aamir, so everyone thought I only did those kind of films. I've always wanted to do different things. So, it was a conscious decision to do Ki & Ka with Arjun (Kapoor), who's younger than me, or Udta Punjab. Rhea thought I wouldn't be interested. We met somewhere and I asked her to give me the script. A typical mainstream actor would think, It's great that there are four girls, but am I the central part?' When I read the script, though, I loved it I loved the language and the world. It was so different for me to be a part of this world. I immediately told her that I wanted to do the film.
And then you got pregnant?
I said yes' to the film, and exactly two-and-a-half to three months after that, I got pregnant. I was in Rome for a holiday and I told Saif (Ali Khan, husband) that I didn't want to lie to Rhea and make her wait. So I called her up and told her I'm on my way back and that I'd like to meet. I think by then she was already sensing something. When she walked into the room, even before I could say anything, she said, You're pregnant'. Apparently she felt' it.
I told her to approach someone else to do the role, but she stood her ground and said that she wouldn't make this film without me. She said she'd go back to the writers and call me back in a month. So, then the script was changed and they made my character pregnant. I spoke to Saif about it and he said that as long as the timings were fine and I was comfortable doing it, I should go ahead.
I was six-and-a-half months pregnant, had spoken to the doctors and everything was good to go, but we didn't get the maternity insurance. Rhea called me and said that's fallen through, and that she can't make the film because she can't take me on the floors to shoot without insurance. I told her it's a sign and that she should just go ahead and make the film with someone else. This couldn't be our only opportunity to work together!
Once again, Rhea refused to listen. She said, I have already waited six months and I am fine with waiting for another six months'. I told her that I'd need more than six months to get back on set but she was adamant. And it all worked out I delivered Taimur, and six-and-a-half months later, I was on the sets ready to shoot.
Did it put extra pressure knowing that you had to look camera-ready within a certain time frame after you delivered?
There was never any pressure from Rhea. She told me that we'd shoot regardless of the shape I'm in, and that I should do it however I want without stressing about it. But I've always been a very fit person, always eating right. My mom (Babita) just asked me today what she should make for Sunday lunch and I told her I want karela and sai bhaji. I have always been a healthy eater. Being that way just helped me to get back in shape faster.
Did it feel different to go back on set? Did you take Taimur with you on set?
I took him with me to Delhi, but I didn't take him to the shoot because he was just six-seven months old at the time. I had to adjust my timings to ensure I got a certain amount of time with him through the day. It was a lot of fun to get back on set... it was as if I was never away. Actually, I wasn't really away. I was shooting for ads until I was nine months pregnant. I liked it because it kept me active and the doctors encouraged it.
Are you enjoying motherhood?
I love it and I think it's the best part of my life. I just don't want to leave Taimur for a second. Even if I'm not there playing with him all the time, I need him to be around me. I feel like if he is around me, I can protect him.
Motherhood is said to be a transformative period. Does life feel different?
The only thing different is that I am constantly worried! (Laughs) And I am told this is going to be there for the rest of my life, whether he's six months old or 16 or 26. I'm 37, but my mother still calls me or sends messages to ask whether I've packed up and eaten. She's told me that this is a lifelong responsibility and that I need to learn to live with this worry.
Do you have a new appreciation for mothers who work?
Of course! Women are just so much better at multitasking. I'm lucky to have Saif who's quite supportive but he does get irritated if I'm not home by 6 or 6.30. He says that I should make it a point that my son sees me before he goes to bed, and I always try and do that, especially now that he's getting older.
Taimur is probably the most famous baby in the country. Did Saif and you talk about how visible you'd want him to be?
We did. Saif's so against Taimur being photographed so much... he doesn't like it at all. At the same time, we know that there's nothing we can do about it. I want to tell people that he's just 17 months old, just leave him alone. But nobody takes us seriously. In Hollywood, publications don't print pictures of kids anymore, they blur the face out and I think that they should here as well. As parents, it's our responsibility to give Taimur as normal a life as possible I can't keep him behind closed doors and within four walls all the time. I want him to have the most normal life, meet family and friends. Photographers are trailing Taimur constantly... it's unbelievable.
There's no announcement about what you're doing next, is there?
They'll announce it when they have to, but I am going to do only one film at a time. I've just finished Veere Di Wedding and Saif's just finished his Netflix show (Sacred Games), and he's now shooting for Navdeep's (Singh) film. Obviously, we have to balance it out. So, once he gets done in November is when I'll start shooting another film.
Talking about Saif, he's been going through a rough patch in his career...
I think it's his choices. He won't do a commercial movie just because it'll work at the box office. He'd rather do a Kaalakaandi, which is slightly different. I don't know how people look at it, but his choices are slightly different and some will work and some won't.
Feel Years Younger By Boosting Your Stem Cells At HomeLCR Health Supplements
Constant Fatigue Is A Warning Sign See The Simple FixGundry MD
Members Lounge
0