Actress Katrina Kaif follows a simple philosophy in life — live and let live. With her recent release Phantom, she shares that after three films with director Kabir Khan, she has seen him evolve and that he has used his experience in a productive manner. By TEAM VIVA
In New York, you were a victim of a terrorist. In Ek Tha Tiger, you were the agent of the opposite camp and now you’re an Indian agent. In three Kabir Khan films, how has the journey of the woman character beenIJ What has been your evolution as an artiste in the processIJ
New York was, of course, the beginning of my journey with Kabir which was in 2009 and now Phantom is 2015. We’ve had a really interesting and a fortunate journey together. For me, the special thing about the journey is that we, so far, have been able to make memorable and good films together and at the same time became really good friends. That friendship for me was as special as the films we made together. From the time I met him for New York, I realised that Kabir really respects women and doesn’t see them as stereotypes. He sees you as an individual, as a person and judges you on the basis of your intellect and what you have to say. And if he finds you engaging, he engages with you. That gave me a lot of confidence and New York was a big turning point in my life, if not for my career as I had many different highlights throughout, but as a person. In many ways, it was a big step for me.
Ek Tha Tiger had a very different approach to filmmaking for Salman and it was a new film. I saw Kabir handle the whole situation and I kind of took a step back because I had trust in him and I knew his style. I was an observer seeing what’s happening and he still managed to make exactly what he wanted to. It was such a loved film and I think even Salman was really impressed by the results in the end.
With Phantom, I saw a whole new side to Kabir. It’s not just been my evolvement as a person but it was also nice to see Kabir’s evolution as a director.
When I watched Bajrangi Bhaijaan, I spoke to Kabir and said the main thing, forget how good the film is, that I am happy about is that your voice comes across so strongly in the film. This was the second film he was doing with such a big star who tends to overshadow everything else in his film but Kabir’s voice came loud and clear and it was still his film. That was really amazing.
When I saw Phantom, one of the things I said to Kabir was that there is a finesse in the film which I saw and I worked so closely with him. I had envisioned the film which perhaps could have been executed after New York or maybe after Ek Tha Tiger and this is something which surprised even me about
Phantom. It was really interesting and nice to see that the director also do evolve, adapt and better themselves. Kabir has not gone overconfident or complacent, he has really used his experience in a productive way.
As for the evolution of the woman character, I would say she was complete from New York itself. Kabir always saw his women characters as very strong. Women were never ornamental in his films. It wasn’t just like we need a woman in the film so let’s just write a little bit of a role here. He never saw women like that and he never will.
Whether it was New York or Ek Tha Tiger, I remember so many people commented that they were shocked to see a girl in this kind of a role when Salman Khan is also there. That’s very true as it normally doesn’t happen. Phantom is the same. My character is called Nawaz Mistry and she goes on a mission with Saif Ali Khan. The beauty of it is that, there is no discrimination between the woman or the man in the film. She is an ex-RAW agent, an ex-agent with the Indian Intelligence Service and that is it. She is part of the journey and is intelligently supporting Saif.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the ideal solution that we all hope for. It is a very human, feel-good solution and Phantom is a more practical solution-oriented film...
I would not call Phantom the practical solution. Because I think that it is not for us — me, Kabir, producers, et al. – to decide on retributive justice. Phantom depicts a little bit more reality of what has happened during 26/11 and what currently exists out there in the world at large, about the perpetrators who are behind 26/11. It is the director’s or Hussain Zaidi’s (writer of Mumbai Avengers, the book which the film is based on) interpretation which is fiction. We are in no way saying that this is what we recommend. The tagline is ‘The story you wish were true’. It’s cinema and cinema is about doing things we can’t do in real life.
Do you think the ban in Pakistan was overhypedIJ
Not in this case. Kabir has said many times that the ban came on behalf of a person whose voice seemed like they were speaking on behalf of the whole country of Pakistan. This is something Kabir disagreed with. I can’t claim to have huge knowledge about this but Hafiz Saeed cannot be speaking for every citizen of Pakistan.
How much of referencing did you do for this role because women agents don’t get talked about in this country at allIJ
In the movie, we show that Nawaz has left RAW. She’s not a part of RAW in any way and the operation is not authorised but is a covert operation. Serving RAW agents are not allowed to be part of active field missions, so we have been careful with facts.
How much of preparation did you do for itIJ Did you entirely depend on Kabir for thisIJ
No, because all of us needed to be armed with the facts besides the physical preparation, which for me was already done because of Dhoom 3 and Ek Tha Tiger. We all needed to know the facts and figures so that we were clear in our heads about what’s going on, what is fact and fiction and how do we approach this. Hussain Zaidi, of course, was the reason why this film could be made. He approached Kabir with the idea of this film but it was not completely fleshed out and Kabir said if I’m going to do this, I’ll need all the facts and the pieces of the puzzle put together. Hussain went and actually did that. He put together all the missing pieces and then they sat together.
Talking about a performance-oriented role, you have done Rajneeti, New York, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Where are those individualistic roles nowIJ
To me, it is not necessary that I must be in every scene of the film to say that it’s a strong woman character. To me ZNMD’s laila is a very strong woman character sending a very correct and an important message to the women of this country. I think this is woman empowerment if you want to talk about it.
I’ve been very satisfied and challenged by a lot of roles, mostly the ones we talked about. I want the film to end and be a memorable one. Now if another film comes, where you are the protagonist and the male character is much strong but you still like the film, then of course, I’d love to do it. But I need to like the film and the script as a whole. I’m not going to do something thinking that this is going to get me a lot of attention but at the same time I don’t really like the film. That maybe is my conflict, I need to like the film for sure. If that happens, I’d be more than excited and very thrilled.
I also think it’s a personality thing, for some people I understand Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is one childish film but here was a different kind of a girl and they wanted her to portray her that way. You don’t need to always be serious or sad all the time to say that this is an incredible role. We were having a blast with the film because the character was a little cracked.
After a couple of women protagonist films that have done well in the commercial format, the industry seems to have become more confident about its women. How much of this is hyped and how much of this is realityIJ Also does this impact the issue of pay parity between women and male actorsIJ Do you think that there has been some sort of change at leastIJ
We have seen many strong women characters for a long time if you remember Madhuri Dixit’s film Mrityudand or Chaalbaaz and if we talk of more contemporary films then look at Tanu Weds Manu. According to me, we have been seeing very strong women-oriented films.
Was there a phase where they got pushed to the back burner in maybe the late 90s and early 2000sIJ Maybe but in different phases and years of the industry, we have been seeing it for a long time and maybe we are seeing the reigniting of this trend which is a wonderful thing but not new. This is my observation. If the film is entertaining, I believe it will do well no matter the sex of the protagonist.
In terms of the pay parity between men and women, my personal opinion is that, and maybe there some flaws in my theory that can be corrected, if the producer does not have the confidence that woman-dominated can make `100 crore, they should drop a contract that ‘x’ amount should be charged, if the film is a hit. For example, if a film earns `50 crore, then the actress should charge according to the percentage, like `10 crore. That way, the producer is not in fear. In case, the film does do well, the actress will also get what she deserves and the producer is safe.
Do you think that the women actors are still defined by the male gazeIJ
I don’t think it shapes a woman’s personal life or shapes the public opinion of her but it can dominate what is written about her. It does cast a shadow on what is being written about her in the media and what goes on in her private domain. In the idealistic world, actors should talk about their films and media would carry it and end that is the end of the story. Unfortunately, there is a lot that cast a large shadow on the actress with the people in our private life are also well-known. It is very unfortunate.
If you ask me does that offend meIJ I’ll say no as I understand the nature of the job. If we want to take little steps to make this world a better place for women, then each person should take that little step. A lot of public perception is cultivated by the media. let’s say 80 per cent is from the films according to me, and then rest of 20 per cent is by the media.
There are times when I tell the journalist to just stick to work-related questions but then I see those questions still printed. I feel I my work will only be spoken about if I just go to work and then come back home, have no friends and not entertain a living soul.
Is that why you’re not on social mediaIJ
I’m not willing to put myself in direct contact with so many opinions. I have a simple philosophy in life – live and let live. You do what makes you happy, I’ll do what makes me happy so long that nobody ever harms each others intentionally or do anything evil or be cruel. When my friend shows her Facebook page to me, I see some write with so much of conviction. First of all, where does all this comes for. During the recent Madonna controversy, the internet went crazy. First of all, why is everyone so angsty against an entertainment artiste. I am a passive person.
Have you thought of exploring more horizons in the industryIJ
I have given thoughts to it many times over the years. I thought of being a producer once. I realised the amount of effort which goes behind acting in a film and when you do films back-to-back, I don’t think I have the mindset to do that and this. I just about have the mental capacity and time to put in the kind of effort I need to in my films. I am always running short whether it’s time for rehearsals or fitting or meeting the director, et al.
I believe production is something natural for an actor to graduate in to as you have a lot of experience.
How about script writing as you have a lot of perspectiveIJ
I have perspective from a production pointof view and not from the writing point of view. Director would also be amazing.
What is the dream role you are looking forIJ
I am looking for that dream film. The definition for it is when the end credits start rolling and you are overwhelmed with emotion that I am part of this film. That is what drives me and makes me want to go to work.
photo Pankaj Kumar