Subhash K Jha: Deepika in Fast & Furious 7 just a publicty stunt - Page 9

Kuch to hai. LK that's my name for Lucky Katrina is exempted from the rigours of recession and no-show. She is the Hema Malini of the current generation.

Whatever this girl touches turns into gold. Raajneeti is the latest example. Sure, it's Prakash Jha's triumph at the end of the day. But with Raajneeti Jha has gone to the league of the commercially saleable directors in our industry. Even Ranbir Kapoor had his first big hit with Katrina. Now, his second big hit is with her again. John Abraham's only hit besides Dostana, is with Katrina. Neil Nitin Mukesh's only hit so far also has her. Saif Ali Khanhas decided to do a love story with Kunal Kohli, and he suggested Katrina's name.

Reminds me of Hema Malini. There was a time when anything she touched turned into gold. Fading superstars with falling fortunes and receding hairlines pleaded to get lucky Malini into their projects. Though she had less than cordial experiences with Manoj Kumar and Rajesh Khanna in her earlier films she agreed to star in their purported comeback films Premnagar and Sanyasi, respectively.

I'd like to think the films clicked because of Hema Malini's positive attitude to life. She never holds grudges. Hema is blunt in her words and gestures (she had noisily left the premiere of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas at the glorious climax with daughter Esha, simply because they needed to find their car).

Katrina is far more of a go-getter than Hema. I'd hear stories of her dignified defiance against Salman Khan's autocratic ways even before I got to know her. Here's a classic Katrina story from her Salman days. Salman was one day sitting with a very close director-friend when she sauntered into the room in a pair of jeans and a skimpy top announcing that she was going out. Salman mildly objected to the top. Katrina went inside and came out wearing a skimpier top. Salman made sure she remained cocooned from the murky side of showbiz. But she never allowed him to dominate her life. When you meet her she appears to be aloof, but then you realise, the vulnerable do need to fortify themselves from the strong winds.

Hema is much stronger. She can take the lashing winds on her chin. Last week, she was treated very badly by the political party she is affiliated to. Did she sit down to cry over the spilt milk? Nope. She took immediate steps to register her protest. She cancelled her trip to Patna for a political rally. I remember when I met her for the first time I couldn't take my eyes off her. Later I realised she has the same effect on all normal person of any age or gender. Katrina doesn't have the enchanting aura of Hema. But they're both blessed with an inner beauty that manifests itself outward in their day-to-day conduct. You won't find the lechers and louts of the film industry messing about with either Hema or Katrina. It's that don't-mess-with-me attitude which separated a Rakhee Gulzar from a Moushumi Chatterjee.