Bollywood beauty Kriti Sanon made quite a mark since her first UK theatrical release Dilwale, the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film here, released. Her Bollywood debut film Heropanti didn’t get a UK release, but its availability on Netflix definitely helped Kriti’s popularity in the UK among Bollywood fans.
Hailing from a middle-class family out of India’s capital Delhi, Sanon moved to Mumbai to make it big in Bollywood. With over 18 Million followers on Instagram, the 28-year-old actress has amassed a pretty good fan following since she rose to fame in 2014.
Her new film Lukka Chuppi also starring Bollywood’s new heartthrob Kartik Aryan, is a comedy of errors. In the film, the two fall in love while working on a news report and move in together to test whether their relationship would last. They decide to get married but in a comical twist their conservative neighbors and families believe they’re married in secret already.
Kriti spoke to BollySpice.com about her new film, her social media presence and her experience of recently filming for Housefull 4 in London.
Talking about the reaction to the trailer which has been viewed almost 50 Million times on YouTube, she said, “The trailer is a true glimpse of the film. I felt that everyone who saw it, liked the world we presented. There is much more in the film that is funnier and better than what we’ve already put out there. I’m excited about the funny scenes in the film which we couldn’t include in the trailer as it would have given away too much.”
Discussing live-in relationships as shown in the film, Kriti said, “Live-in relationships are such a big taboo in Indian urban cities anyway and the film takes that concept into a small town, where you will be judged openly.”
She further added about her character in the film, saying, “I don’t need to relate to the characters I portray. The character needs to intrigue me and I need to find it interesting. There must be layer to it and something quirky about it for me to notice it. It needs to be believable to audiences as well. I feel, its interesting to play a character that is nothing like yourself. I end up finding a few things that resemble me in most characters that I have played eventually anyways. I relate a little bit more Rashmi, the character I play in Lukka Chuppi. She is modern, educated in Delhi and chooses a life partner for herself.”
Kriti also opened up on how much she has changed since Dilwale, which released in 2015 and how she is more confident now having a string of successes behind her. “I was still trying to figure out things and finding my way in the industry. I’ve tried to grow and become better with each film. After Dilwale, a lot has changed in how I approach performing a scene. I’ve also opened up a lot more as a person. When I came to Mumbai from Delhi, I didn’t have to make independent decisions. I lived at home with my family. I also had a very strong sense of right and wrong, it was very black and white. I’ve met a lot more people and have had lot of conversations over the years. I’ve opened up much more as a result of that and started seeing things from a different point of view. My performances in my recent films have also been appreciated and that gave me confidence to go out of my comfort zone. I feel very comfortable now – so yes, a lot has changed.”
Lukka Chuppi’s popularity can also be attributed to how the soundtrack of the film primarily features remakes of popular Bollywood and Indian pop songs. This has however, also drawn some criticism from fans calling the songs unoriginal.
Kriti clarified why they chose to only feature remakes in the soundtrack and how she likes them more than original songs, “It doesn’t bother me that people complain about the songs being remakes. I love listening to remakes and there is a recall value to them. The original ‘Coca-Cola song’ has been on my playlist for ages and the new version is very cool. Remakes also tend to get more popular than original songs. That’s why the producer felt that it’s not fair to include one remake in an original soundtrack album as the remake would overshadow it. It upsets the composer of the original music album. He decided to only create remakes for the entire soundtrack. Coca-Cola has already reached over 94 million views and the view count is rising. The artists also like that being on a Bollywood soundtrack gives their songs a wider medium.”
With Bollywood stars now primarily only posting professionally taken photographs on their social media pages, Kriti still prefers to be true to the platforms. “I also share professional photographs on and off on my Instagram, as well as cover shoots and posters etc. That is work and professional. Social Media for me is a way to interact with audiences and my fans. I want to share a part of my real life. I share family photos and a lot of content with my pet as well. I randomly make videos from my bed as I just want to show that I’m normal like other people. I’m a simple middle-class girl who doesn’t really like dressing up normally. I want them to know that side of me too. I love hosting live chats and in those you can’t use photoshop (laughs), so that’s great.”
The actress was in London last year to film the highly-anticipated Housefull 4 releasing in the summer later this year. Speaking about her first time filming in the British capital she said: ‘It was amazing filming in London. It was almost like a paid holiday. We had a blast and I didn’t mind the crowd watching us filming. The weather was lovely, and we got some great shots and also had time shop (laughs). I wish our schedule was a bit longer though. The Housefull movies are always set in London and they’ve always filmed for a month or so but this time we only had nine days, which was a bit disappointing. You will know, when you see the film why it was so short.’
Lukka Chuppi is out in UK cinemas nationwide with English subtitles today March 1st.
