Katrina Kaif on romancing Aamir Khan on reel, on being clicked with Ranbir Kapoor in real and the quote she wants a copyright for.

Your films usually don’t take so much time to get made. But thanks to Aamir Khan, Dhoom:3 has been in the making for a long time...

It’s been a long wait for the film to come out. It does feel like the end of an extremely long, hard and fulfilling journey. The process of making the film has been extremely interesting and very challenging.

Because you play an acrobat?

Yes, I had to train very hard. I don’t think I’d ever train this hard for a film ever in my life again. Even after so much training, it was not easy. For a particular sequence in the film, Aamir and me had to perform on the hoop, like the ones you see in a circus. Now I trained individually and Aamir trained individually. And we didn’t use harnesses. The hoop was very little for a big person like me and it left bruises of the size of my palm during practice. On the day of the shoot Aamir and me both got on the hoop together and they lifted the hoop 30-40ft above the ground and we were supposed to bend backwards. It was then I realised that if we didn’t hold each other correctly, we’d have fallen from that height and broken every bone in our bodies!

How did you physically prepare yourself for the role?

I didn’t get to do any action in this one but the songs required me to be physically strong. It required a lot of intense training... two to two-and-a-half hours every day of functional training plus push-ups and pull-ups. It’s been three months now that the shooting has ended and I’ve run away from my trainer. Her name is Yasmin and she messages me every day since I spent so much time with her last year training for the songs.

You danced to the same track — Dhoom machale — that Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai jived to in Dhoom:2. Did that put you under pressure?

Well, there was a responsibility for sure but if you look at the title track, there are lots of action shots as well, using clips from the movie. It’s done in a very international format — it’s not just the song. So in a way, it’s everyone’s video and not just mine. During the making of the other songs there was so much of training and hard work, that for this one it was more about having fun and being stylish. A lot more stress was given on the styling and presentation as opposed to the dance. For the other two songs, I wanted them to look and feel different from Sheila or Chikni or Mashallah; this one is more about the spirit of the film.

How was it working with Aamir Khan for the first time?

You know what surprised me? It was the first day of shoot and I hadn’t really interacted with him much before and he has this whole image about being this method actor but he was actually very easy and very spontaneous. Very chilled out. It was very comfortable with him and we had a lot of fun. There’s an amazing romantic song in the film and that’s something I’m really looking forward to coming on TV.

Is it the one where you put your leg on Aamir’s shoulder?

Let me tell you about that. So Aamir’s sitting on the chair and doing absolutely nothing at all and I’m dancing around him and doing everything I possibly can to impress him. And there comes this point where I’m supposed to put my leg on his shoulder. I was nervous... after all it’s Aamir Khan! I was thinking that when I’d practise for it, he would be like: ‘Don’t worry, go for it, no problem, we are in it together!’ And what does he say? ‘Just be careful. I’ve a shoulder injury; so don’t put your leg too hard!’ No pressure at all, you see!

Now that you have worked with all the three Khans, who was the most daunting to work with and who was the most comfortable?

Shah Rukh Khan was the most daunting. I said this during Jab Tak Hai Jaan also. I don’t know why. Off the sets we were fine... happy, chit chatting... but the moment it was ‘Action’, I used to be speechless. And everyone would be like... ‘Line! Line!’ Something about him made me nervous. The most comfortable I’ve been with is Salman because I’ve known him for so long. He’s seen me from the beginning; so there’s no consciousness, you’re not feeling judged in any way.

When your pictures holidaying in Ibiza with Ranbir Kapoor were printed, you wrote a letter expressing your hurt and anger with the media. How do you look back at the episode now?

First of all, let me clarify I was not upset with the media in general. When I saw those pictures in print, I reacted from the heart. I was angry. I did feel hurt. At that point of time and even after, people around me were saying that you have to accept it... it’s part of your job as an actor. But at that moment, I was hurt and angry. I just felt it was a private moment and the privacy should have been respected. I have been around for nine years and it had never happened to me. I felt it was not right. I’ve gone skipping down the beach with my sisters in Spain so many times and no one’s ever clicked me. At that moment I felt it was done with a mean intent. It felt like that. I reacted out of that emotion.

Did Ranbir also feel the same way about those pictures? Did you two discuss it? Everyone reacts differently. A man may feel a certain way and a woman may feel a certain way. I think the thing to take away from the experience was a lesson learnt. One has to move on. There are worse things happening in the world. It’s in the past now. Next time, if I get a notice I will wear matching colours. Red and white (her bikini) don’t match (Laughs out loud).

So, are you seeing Ranbir Kapoor?

Here I would like to use my old quote and I would like to point out that this quote was mine even though other people now say it (Ranbir said it on a TV show before Besharam’s release), ‘I’m single till I get married!’ And I’m not married. And there are no plans of marriage yet.