I'm in LOVE with this interview ... INTERESTING!!!
Do you think, this is the time for actresses to break the mould and carry films on their shoulders? Let's face it. It's a male-dominated industry. Look at the collections of Ek Tha Tiger. We shouldn't try to compete with actors and claim that actresses can carry a movie without them. Vidya Balan has done Kahaani and The Dirty Picture. Her films were commercial successes. I've always maintained that box-office success is what counts. People don't care about your performance. If the men manage to get more number of people to see your film, I don't see why we should have a problem. Image Courtesy: Abhay Singh
Madhur Bhandarkar's films thrive on sensationalism, no? Not Heroine. Fashion was more on the sensational side. Heroine was sensational in parts but it had depth in content. It was a potent mixture of commercial elements, content and performances.
The fact is that the person who buys the ticket on a Friday is going in for sensationalism. No one wants to see my performance. That is secondary. They want to see what Madhur Bhandarkar has made. Konkona Sen Sharma won a National Award for her role in Page 3, so did Priyanka Chopra for Fashion. Are you expecting to win one for Heroine? (Laughs) Come on, I didn't do Heroine just to win the National Award. But having said that, I think my role in Heroine is an award-winning performance. It is bold, eccentric and different. It's not run-of-the-mill. I've given it my all. The way I've looked, the way I've performed is spectacular.
You'd once said that you were comfortable doing lovemaking scenes only with Saif. But Heroine had intense lovemaking scenes… The character is bold. So the scenes are integral to the story. But by bold I don't mean skin show. At the end of the day, I'm a commercial actress. There are certain boundaries to be taken care of. I don't think I could have done The Dirty Picture. Vidya is so talented that she managed to pull it off with ease. I do have my limitations.
Reportedly, you asked Madhur to rewrite a few scenes… That's not true at all. Madhur knows the pulse of the audience. I've seen his films and he's a good director. He made a good movie.
Tell us about your dark side. (Laughs) I've been here for too long and I really don't have a dark side. There are, of course, moments of weakness and moments of insecurity. Earlier, I was much more impulsive. Now, I'm over that phase. I have no interest in knowing what others are doing. I'm happy with what's coming
my way.
You were such a teekhi mirchi at one point. (Laughs) I still am. I'm just a little more composed. I have to be. I know the game too well now. I've seen enough people with success and failure. So what actresses do really doesn't bother me.
Do you prefer this Kareena over the earlier one? I like the way I am today. I'm so much at peace and I'm doing exactly what I want. I'm just happier.
You come across as overconfident… I don't think I'm the best but I know that whatever I do, I'll give it my best shot. Then, hits and flops don't matter. I'll fight till the end. Some films will work and the others won't. Your talent must show. That's important.
Do you get affected after playing intense roles? While working for Heroine, it did get disturbing at times. So while shooting certain scenes, I'd get upset.
Are you afraid of failure? I can never be afraid of failure. I've had so much failure in my life that now I don't even care if it crosses my path. And if it does, I'll deal with it.
Do you think you've lost your edge, now that you don't seem to be part of the race anymore? No. I'm just too happy and content to bother about what anyone else is doing. I've done a range of films. I've got the opportunity to choose. Later, if I don't get the opportunities, I'll still be fine.
Why did you opt out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram Leela opposite Ranveer Singh? Sanjay and I wanted to work together for 13 years but it never worked out. There were some date problems with Ram Leela. My managers did not think it would be a good idea to give 200 days to a film, at this stage of my career. I was offered two films at the same time — Karan Johar's untitled film to be directed by Punit Malhotra opposite Imran Khan, and Prakash Jha's Satyagraha opposite Ajay Devgn. So I went ahead with them.
You and Prakash Jha seem quite an unusual combination. Prakash is an immensely successful director. His heroines have strong roles. Also, Ajay is a successful actor. I'm sure I can work with Ranveer in the future but as of now I'd like to work with Ajay.
Does your choice of movies depend on the bankability of the star opposite you? Yes, I'd like to work with commercially bankable stars. I've done Omkara and Golmaal 2 and 3 with Ajay. If people say I've chosen to work with Imran over Ranveer, that's also because I've given a commercial hit with Imran (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu). It has been one of the best performances of my career. And the chemistry was brilliant.
Is it a conscious decision to work with younger actors? No, in that case I should've taken up the role with Ranveer. Rather, it depends on what I want to do. After working with Shah Rukh (Khan), Salman (Khan), Ajay and Saif (Ali Khan), if I do a few films with the youngsters too, what's wrong with that?
Tell us the status of your film with Zoya Akhtar and cousin Ranbir Kapoor? Zoya has spoken to me just once about the film. She's still scripting it. Once she's done and she approaches me, I'd love to work with her. Also, I'm looking forward to working with Ranbir.
What's your equation with Ranbir? Ranbir and I aren't particularly close to each other. Look, I've generally not been close to anyone in the family. I'm independent, in my own space and doing my own thing. I've only been very close to Lolo (sister Karisma Kapoor). Also, I have studied in a boarding school. Anyway, I was not really in touch with the family.
Is there any kind of bitterness with the rest of the Kapoors? Not really. But every family has its own set of problems. A few people may never get along. That's normal, not a big thing.
What do you think of the talent in Bollywood? Everyone is so talented here. But Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra are the most talented.
What about Deepika Padukone? What about her?
Is there any problem between Deepika and you? Not at all! I don't know why people say so. Maybe she has worked with Saif (Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail) that's why. I've met her a couple of times now and there's no bad blood between us. Saif can work with whoever he wants to just like I work with whoever I want to.
Do you ever feel insecure about Saif working with someone else? Never. I know the kind of guy he is. He's not a regular star. As of now, I don't feel insecure. In the future, I don't know.
Your on-screen pairing with Saif has never worked… Who cares? He wanted Agent Vinod to work because it was his baby. We're a pair in real life; it's not mandatory that we should work on screen too. He can make a successful pair with anyone, as far as he comes home and he's mine. I'm sure he thinks the same about me.
Everyone was speculating about your marriage to Saif... Why? Is my marriage affecting the Parliament or the Sensex? Why this national uproar about it?
Is it because your career is at its peak that you don't want to get distracted by your personal life? I firmly believe that being married or not, cannot affect my career. I've lived with a man for five years. Before that, I was in another relationship for five years. I've never shied away from admitting to being in love. And I've had a career parallel to my personal life.
I'm not one of those actresses who'd say, 'Oh! I'm so busy and my life is from studio to home and home to studio!' I have a personal life but I also have my career; I'm a thorough professional. The image I have on screen has got nothing to do with how I am in real life. The minute I get home, I turn off my cellphone and have nothing to do with the onscreen Kareena Kapoor. Rachel Weisz was married to Daniel Craig and no one even knew about it. I remember reading one of her interviews where she said,
'No one needs to know what I'm doing with Daniel'. People should know about my films and performances. Stop giving a heroine's married life so much importance. Your relationship with Saif is five years old. Has the initial excitement died down? Not at all. We're best friends and lovers.
Is that really possible? Of course. I don't know why people are so cynical about relationships in India. It's about togetherness; what we share and what we enjoy. We are strong individuals and we give each other space. It's great that Saif and I have a 10-year age gap. He has more knowledge than I do. He has broadened my horizons. Whether it's fine dining, reading or travelling; he's just amazing. He's well-read and well-spoken. He's supremely successful in whatever he does. Why should I care about who's doing what, as far as Saif and I are doing our work, earning bucks and going for holidays.
Would you ever cheat? No, I don't think so.
There are temptations but if you're happy and content with your man, then you'd never cheat. The only time you'd look elsewhere or stray is when you're unhappy. How many vacations do you take in a year? Actually, we do not holiday much. Last year, when Saif was shooting in Turkey, I flew there to be with him. Otherwise, we're so busy that we don't get the time. Saif and I love travelling abroad. We meet our friends there. We like taking quality time out.
Are you guarded about your friendships as well? Never. If I like a person, I'll go out of my way to help him/her. And if I don't like a person, then I wouldn't particularly make an effort. I might as well stay away.
If Saif asks you to give up your career, how would you react? You think Saif would ever say that? In fact, he'd tell me to work. He's modern in thought. But it would be quite funny if he'd ask me to get into a burqa.
Saif's sweetest quality… He's caring and thoughtful.
His most annoying quality… He can sleep for hours and hours and the entire day could go by.
Who is the hottest man in the industry? Saif! Saif! Saif!
Apart from him? Who else is there? Ranbir is my brother, Imran is too sweet. There's no one else! Saif is the one and only one!
One person you'd love to get stuck in a lift with? Priyanka. I think we'd have fun. She's a sweet girl.
Your wildest fantasy? (Sighs) Moving to Paris. Away from the paparazzi. If I get bored of the anonymity, then I'll come back. I just want to do my work, go there and chill. Here, the paparazzi wants to know what I'm eating, what I'm wearing. It gets annoying after a point.
Name an actress with the best body. Katrina Kaif. I think she's sexy.
If you were to do a female version of Dostana, who would you pair with? Priyanka or Katrina.
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