With 15 films released over 5 years, the Hong – Kong born actress, Katrina Kaif spoke candidly to IANS in an interview in New Delhi about her journey in the industry so far: “When I started, people were not only writing me off for my strong British accent, there were many others who tried to prevent me from making it till here.”
Continuing about the industries initial reaction toward her she said, “They didn’t do so in an aggressive or excessive manner, but they used to say things like ‘I don’t know…’ and ‘I’m not sure…’ that would suggest a not-so-positive approach towards me. But I proved myself ultimately.”
And prove herself she did. After an unsuccessful debut in 2003 with film Boom which co-starred Amitabh Bachchan, Kaif went on to give 6 consecutive hit films over 2007/08, which all reflected a marked improvement in her acting ability and dialogue delivery.
“I always try and push myself to exceed expectations. I use this ideology in a positive way,” she explained.
Commenting on her improved accent, she continued – “Interacting with various people on and off the sets and doing some eight Hindi movies, dealing with Hindi scripts, practising dialogue delivery … I think that in itself has taught me and helped me improve my accent.”
About her belief in destiny, “The great thing about life is that you never know what can happen and there’s no limitation to it. Someone can tell you that you can never be this and never be that. It’s not true. Anyone can be what he wants to be and destiny plays a major part in it. God has of course been very kind to me”.
“I believe that everyone should try and live their dreams, follow them and they might just come true someday,” Katrina said.
Back in the media spotlight after the poor reception of Yuvvraaj Kaif spoke on her need to change direction in a career that has mainly showcased her talent in the comedic genre as well as being labelled a lucky mascot. “If you see Akshay Kumar, he was an action hero and then he went to comedy and found out his real calling. It took him to new heights of super stardom. I think it is important to take risks and figure out what really suits you. Every actor has a strength like Aamir does romance and Akshay does comedy, but I don’t know my strength yet”.
“‘Lucky mascot’ doesn’t make any sense. It is such an illogical statement. A successful film is a combination of a good director, good music, intelligent script, good timing, destiny, everybody’s efforts and audience’s reaction. There isn’t a reason or an explanation that you can tag a person as lucky,” she remarked.
But lucky she is, as the brand ambassador for Nakshatra-diamond jewellery she has been tagged as ‘Goddess of Luck’ for promotions, meaning her Vogue cover for December 2008 is appropriate. In her second appearance in ten months she has been dressed in purple which is seen as the colour of royalty, connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication as well as being seen as feminine and romantic.
