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BT Exclusive: Katrina Kaif: I would never be disloyal to the person I love
Madhureeta Mukherjee | TNN | Jan 31, 2016, 12.00 AM IST
Katrina KaifShe's on a high. A sugar high. It's not often that one gets to chat with the gorgeous actress while she's lounging, sprawled on a sofa " indulging in the guilty pleasures of life. Letting her mind wander through the interview, and interrupted only when she delights herself with dollops of chocolate ice cream (and chunks of banana). "I don't usually have sugar, so when I do, it's like a sugar rush. A kick," she says. Add to that a steaming cuppa black coffee, and the feline beauty is all cylinders fired.
The hot topic of conversation lately has been her love life, and her supposed break-up with boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. If you were expecting a meltdown, there is none. Unfazed by the query, she takes another scoop, and explains, "I know that being a celebrity is a double-edged sword. Since the start of my career, my personal life has drawn a lot of attention. By now, I am immune to it. I don't think anyone likes it when a part of their personal life is talked about. When so many people have an opinion about your personal relationship, it pinches. At the same time, I am aware that from the biggest Hollywood stars, to our actors like Madhuri Dixit or even Alia Bhatt who has just come in now " all have been through this."
Katrina Kaif mum on break up rumours with Ranbir Kapoor
Right, I can't dispute that. But when a heartbreak makes headlines every day and distracts from the purpose of being an actor, doesn't it rattle even the strong-hearted? "Whether it is a snippet or it makes headlines, it is still speculation. I can't get carried away by the magnitude of what is spoken and written. I have taken a stance to not comment on my personal life. I can either change that stance or see it through," she firmly asserts. Obviously, it's the second choice that rules.
She adds, "I understand that news is about current topics, and if one of the topics happens to be my relationship, I know you will write about it. Today, I am here in a professional capacity, as an actor. If some day I am doing an interview for a personal book or a memoir, maybe I will see it differently."
Onscreen love stories sweep her off her feet. In reality, she strongly believes in marriage and in "the ability to love someone forever." Ask her about her views on infidelity and she's quick to say, "I would never be disloyal to the person I love. My loyalty would be only to that person." The qualities she feels that are must-have in a man are, "integrity, humour and kindness." And the traits that put her off? She pauses and says, "I don't like dishonesty and indecisiveness." Talking about her love story on screen, in a much deeper vein, she expresses, "Sometimes the person who is your salvation, who is meant to bring the completion in your life, is often the very person you fight against for the longest time. Or the very person you are so set against in your mind, like my character in my upcoming movie."
LISTEN: Songs of Katrina Kaif on Gaana.com
The conversation is just warming up, but the coffee has gone cold. She signals for another cup, it keeps her going. We talk about how she's often not given credit for her super success, and people think she's got it all easy. "This is an industry of opinions. You can't argue with an opinion which is based on what someone feels. It is not a fact that someone looks good or performs well, it is an opinion. It is subjective, so why argue about it," she explains.
In an industry that's fiercely competitive, the comparisons and criticisms also come in generous heaps. "I am competitive in a non-offensive way. I don't want to be somebody else. Someone may be a better dancer, performer and speak the language better than me, but I have to be the best in what I do. I have a lot of areas which can be criticised with good reason. It is what it is, I am fine with it." She laughs and adds, "If the reviews show a positive trend, I read them. Otherwise, I shut them down. Ignorance is bliss sometimes."
Her candour is endearing. And her journey as Katrina Kaif is intriguing. She slips into an introspective mood and says, "My journey has taught me that I know so little, and life is unpredictable. I tend to get hyper and worry about the future, but I have realised that stressing about it will not change things." Katrina is aware of her stardom and prettily basks in it too, yet, she's a realist. "All the adulation is great, but I never fly too high or lose sense of reality. This learning comes from my mother who is a God-fearing, strong woman. There are times you feel everything is just too much. I don't know if I can take it anymore. Then my mom tells me to take one step at a time, and I gradually slow down. Sometimes, if you start adding all the things in your life... it seems too much. Deal with what is happening now, right now," she stresses with a lot of emotion.
Recently on a reality show, Salman Khan said that she was one of the strongest women he knows. I curiously ask if she thinks she is a toughie. "I believe I know my mind, my wants and desires. I know I have the strength and whatever it takes to stand by it. I have the strength to see my desires and dreams through good times, stormy times and opposition. If that's strength " I have it. There is also a part of me that is vulnerable and emotional, and it is open and easily accessible," she confesses.
Click here for more Bollywood videos
She has found a new form of expression " dance. "In real life, I can't always verbalise what I feel, so dancing is liberating. Though at a party, I will never break into a dance, there I will withdraw into my shell." Talk about shells, and this stunner reveals that she is an "introvert". She explains, "The crab is the symbol for Cancerians; they have a shell to protect their soft side. You can't smash the shell; you have to make it feel comfortable enough to draw it out. I find this analogy perfect. If someone uses force and strength on me, I will cower and my walls will come up. But if someone makes me feel comfortable, safe and gives me love... that's when all my layers come off and they can see the real me."
After an hour of heart-felt conversation, we wind down. She shows me some new shades of lip colour, we do some girly talk and pick our favourite pinks. Well, what is life without some giggles, glam and gloss, right?
The hot topic of conversation lately has been her love life, and her supposed break-up with boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor. If you were expecting a meltdown, there is none. Unfazed by the query, she takes another scoop, and explains, "I know that being a celebrity is a double-edged sword. Since the start of my career, my personal life has drawn a lot of attention. By now, I am immune to it. I don't think anyone likes it when a part of their personal life is talked about. When so many people have an opinion about your personal relationship, it pinches. At the same time, I am aware that from the biggest Hollywood stars, to our actors like Madhuri Dixit or even Alia Bhatt who has just come in now " all have been through this."
Katrina Kaif mum on break up rumours with Ranbir Kapoor
Right, I can't dispute that. But when a heartbreak makes headlines every day and distracts from the purpose of being an actor, doesn't it rattle even the strong-hearted? "Whether it is a snippet or it makes headlines, it is still speculation. I can't get carried away by the magnitude of what is spoken and written. I have taken a stance to not comment on my personal life. I can either change that stance or see it through," she firmly asserts. Obviously, it's the second choice that rules.
She adds, "I understand that news is about current topics, and if one of the topics happens to be my relationship, I know you will write about it. Today, I am here in a professional capacity, as an actor. If some day I am doing an interview for a personal book or a memoir, maybe I will see it differently."
Onscreen love stories sweep her off her feet. In reality, she strongly believes in marriage and in "the ability to love someone forever." Ask her about her views on infidelity and she's quick to say, "I would never be disloyal to the person I love. My loyalty would be only to that person." The qualities she feels that are must-have in a man are, "integrity, humour and kindness." And the traits that put her off? She pauses and says, "I don't like dishonesty and indecisiveness." Talking about her love story on screen, in a much deeper vein, she expresses, "Sometimes the person who is your salvation, who is meant to bring the completion in your life, is often the very person you fight against for the longest time. Or the very person you are so set against in your mind, like my character in my upcoming movie."
LISTEN: Songs of Katrina Kaif on Gaana.com
The conversation is just warming up, but the coffee has gone cold. She signals for another cup, it keeps her going. We talk about how she's often not given credit for her super success, and people think she's got it all easy. "This is an industry of opinions. You can't argue with an opinion which is based on what someone feels. It is not a fact that someone looks good or performs well, it is an opinion. It is subjective, so why argue about it," she explains.
In an industry that's fiercely competitive, the comparisons and criticisms also come in generous heaps. "I am competitive in a non-offensive way. I don't want to be somebody else. Someone may be a better dancer, performer and speak the language better than me, but I have to be the best in what I do. I have a lot of areas which can be criticised with good reason. It is what it is, I am fine with it." She laughs and adds, "If the reviews show a positive trend, I read them. Otherwise, I shut them down. Ignorance is bliss sometimes."
Her candour is endearing. And her journey as Katrina Kaif is intriguing. She slips into an introspective mood and says, "My journey has taught me that I know so little, and life is unpredictable. I tend to get hyper and worry about the future, but I have realised that stressing about it will not change things." Katrina is aware of her stardom and prettily basks in it too, yet, she's a realist. "All the adulation is great, but I never fly too high or lose sense of reality. This learning comes from my mother who is a God-fearing, strong woman. There are times you feel everything is just too much. I don't know if I can take it anymore. Then my mom tells me to take one step at a time, and I gradually slow down. Sometimes, if you start adding all the things in your life... it seems too much. Deal with what is happening now, right now," she stresses with a lot of emotion.
Recently on a reality show, Salman Khan said that she was one of the strongest women he knows. I curiously ask if she thinks she is a toughie. "I believe I know my mind, my wants and desires. I know I have the strength and whatever it takes to stand by it. I have the strength to see my desires and dreams through good times, stormy times and opposition. If that's strength " I have it. There is also a part of me that is vulnerable and emotional, and it is open and easily accessible," she confesses.
Click here for more Bollywood videos
She has found a new form of expression " dance. "In real life, I can't always verbalise what I feel, so dancing is liberating. Though at a party, I will never break into a dance, there I will withdraw into my shell." Talk about shells, and this stunner reveals that she is an "introvert". She explains, "The crab is the symbol for Cancerians; they have a shell to protect their soft side. You can't smash the shell; you have to make it feel comfortable enough to draw it out. I find this analogy perfect. If someone uses force and strength on me, I will cower and my walls will come up. But if someone makes me feel comfortable, safe and gives me love... that's when all my layers come off and they can see the real me."
After an hour of heart-felt conversation, we wind down. She shows me some new shades of lip colour, we do some girly talk and pick our favourite pinks. Well, what is life without some giggles, glam and gloss, right?
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