Though Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan didn’t exactly live up to the hype it generated, Katrina Kaif has walked away with accolades for pirouetting seductively to Sheila ki jawani… She also remains unaffected by all the speculation by the media about her ‘on and off’ relationship with Salman Khan. “It’s a part of life. Salman and I both are actors so the speculation will continue. I have to maintain my dignity,” says the actor.
Considered to be one of the top female actors in the industry, Kaif has a lot to look forward to this year — Karan Johar’sDostana 2, Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara where she is paired opposite Hrithik Roshan, Yashraj Film’s Mere Brother Ki Shaadi with Imran Khan and Rajkumar Santoshi’s next with Abhishek Bachchan. However, she wouldn’t say she has had it all easy.
Katrina stayed strong when detractors wrote her off. They said she wouldn’t become a successful actor, as she couldn’t speak Hindi. “It doesn’t bother me,” says Kaif, adding, “Hindi is my second language, English, the first. It’s wonderful to see that the audience has supported me despite my accented Hindi.”
Kaif had to take on a lot of pressure when she first entered the industry. She was constantly judged and her talent, questioned. “Everything in life has a good and bad side. No matter which industry you are in, or what position you are at, it’s all about the approach you have towards life. It’s something that I constantly work on. There are months where I battle things myself, but I correct my approach and make it consciously positive so that I see the good in life.” Even though her co-star from Mere Brother Ki Shaadi, Imran Khan, voted her lower on the acting scale on Koffee With Karan, she took it in her stride: “God bless him.”
She also recently received the Hindustan Times Reader’s Choice Awards for the ‘Best Entertainer of the Year’. “I thank the audience for their support. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their love and encouragement. It means a lot to me. Feels great to be getting it along side Shah Rukh Khan.”
