Kriti Sanon is stepping into the big league

Kriti Sanon is a lanky girl with a spontaneous smile that has just gotten wider. Just a year and a half after her debut film Heropanti, Kriti has entered the big league with Dilwale, in which she acts alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Rohit Shetty. A first perhaps of many given the rumours that she is being approached for films with other A-listers. With success has come the opportunity to learn for the actress, who says she is like a sponge absorbing everything from the experiences and people coming her way. Kriti met with The Hindu to discuss life and her upcoming film Dilwale.

How has life been after Heropanti?

Thankfully, I have been working, so it's been a great one and a half years. Heropanti was applauded and received many awards. The best part has been getting a film like Dilwale and getting to work with such amazing actors. Through this, I have a lot of people who keep me grounded - my family, my manager. It's been a good year, Heropanti, getting accepted by the audience, by the industry and getting endorsements. I was a model earlier but that was different as I was endorsing products. Now, I am someone whom consumers look up to. It will take time for people to get to know me but endorsing products is different for me now.

You have been refusing offers. You were to act opposite Akshay Kumar in Singh is Bling?

I had signed the film and was preparing for it. I took salsa and kickboxing classes but there were changes in the script and the film got pushed. So I went ahead and signed Dilwale. Doing both films would have been too demanding. Ashwini Yardi (producer) understood that I couldn't do the film. It was a mutual decision and there were no hard feelings.

What was it like shooting with Shah Rukh Khan?

A lot of fun. Shah Rukh makes you comfortable in seconds. He also talks a lot and keeps you engaged in stories. I have met him many times before and I am on friendly terms with him. I was actually more nervous meeting Kajol. She is guarded and takes her time to warm up. I had never met her before and my first scene with her was a serious and emotional, one-on-one scene. She is a fabulous actor and helped me take the scene forward. Once we warmed up to each other, it was fun as she laughs a lot. Whether it's Shah Rukh Khan or Kajol, Boman Irani, Johnny Lever or Sanjay Mishra, the film in itself was a learning experience and performing with them was another journey altogether. I don't think you get to work with so many great stars in every movie.

Has the industry been welcoming?

The industry has been very warm and welcoming especially since I am an outsider. I have bonded with Tiger since we did our first film together and I have a good rapport with director Sabir Khan. I got to know Varun very well through this film as we were confined to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad for two months and we ended up practically living on the sets. We chilled out together, had our meals together. Slowly, as I get to do more films, I will get to know more people. I have never stayed away from home before and now that I have to stay here, I have bought a place of my own in the suburbs. It's home for me and my parents keep coming here. Having a house is very important, all this while I have rented places and had to move from one place to another.

Whose advice do you seek before signing on the dotted line?

I am very instinctive when it comes to a script. For me, my first hearing of the script matters. It has to excite me as an actor and as an audience.

My sounding board is my family, my managers or Sabir Khan. I often call him up to ask him what he feels. But, ultimately, it's my decision.

Glamour brings with it a lot of other things, like looking fabulous all the time and being fashion-savvy. How do you deal with this?

That's the painful part of glamour. I have been very carefree so far. I prefer being in denims and a shirt, but now, I have to be careful. I am not a quick decision-maker and so I have to think a lot. I have become more conscious though. These days we are scrutinised by everybody. Girls in the industry put a lot of effort into it. You can't be overdressed or underdressed, your make up has to be subtle and there's a lot of brainstorming that goes into it. My managers and designers do that for me.

What next? We hear that you have been in talks for Half Girlfriend, Raj and D.K's Farzi. That you have also been approached for Sultan opposite Salman Khan?

I am in talks for the project (Half Girlfriend) but it's too early to talk about it. I don't know what's happening on the Farzi front. There is some confusion and I don't know if it will happen now. If it happens, I would love to do it because it's a great script. I have not been offered Sultan. If I had, I would be over the moon.