When t2 walked into a freezing studio floor at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studio on Monday night, it was clear that our interviewee was in a race against time. Tiger Zinda Hai’s leading lady Katrina Kaif had four interviews to finish before she left for dance rehearsals for an upcoming awards show. So we got right down to it and chatted about learning new skills on movie sets, her crackling chemistry with Salman Khan and her holiday plans. 

When we saw Zoya and Tiger at the end of Ek Tha Tiger, they were on the run. What’s happening with the two in this film?

In Ek Tha Tiger (2012), we set up these two agents, established who they are as people... you understand a bit about their personalities. You see the love story between them and the depth of love and care they have for each other, and it’s the kind of love that comes once in a lifetime. Five years later in Tiger Zinda Hai, you see the agents going on a proper mission. And the mission is what the film is about — so you see the characters in their capacity and you see them perform. 

Would it be correct to assume that personally you have done a lot more stunts in this film than you’ve done before?

It’s definitely a lot of action for me, but it’s difficult to dissect it like that. Like in Dhoom:3, how do you differentiate between dance, stunts, action and acrobatics? For Tiger (Zinda Hai), the action was different. Ali’s (Abbas Zafar, director) used a lot of weaponry. He’s very particular about the guns he wanted to use.

Was it fun for you?

Whatever I do, I need to have the best people training me. Don’t give me a gun and tell me to shoot. Get me ex-army guys who have done this themselves and then the stunt masters, stunt assistants and stunt directors who will know how to translate this into cinema. For me, that process was very exciting. That sequence in the promo where you see me walking with the gun, we actually rehearsed it like we rehearse for a dance sequence. When the person was doing the walk with me, I was following each footing of his, each posture.

Ali’s directed you in his first film — Mere Brother Ki Dulhan — and I’m presuming he’s grown as a director with the successes he’s had. What are the changes you see in his working style between that film and this one?

He’s really grown and evolved. I think he’s found a voice for himself and his strength lies in his storytelling. I really noticed it in Sultan, but I saw it in Tiger Zinda Hai as well. He’s found his space and his voice and he’s worked really hard for it. During Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, we were like little kids back then, running around with cameras and a budget and getting yelled at by Aditya Chopra for being immature. So, it’s really nice to see that journey. Besides what I felt as a performer in the film, I felt a lot of happiness and pride for him as a friend to see this growth in him. 

There’s so much talk about Salman and your chemistry in this film. You’ve done multiple films over the years, how do you explain the chemistry?

First of all, I believe chemistry comes from the director and the script — a hundred per cent. Okay… maybe 99 per cent, the one per cent is added by the actors. The equation Salman and I share is slightly unique. He’s known me since I was 17, I don’t know how old he was then, but it’s a long time. And those are very formative years for a person. When you’re 17, you’re discovering yourself, you don’t know what you’re doing, what you’re going to like, what you won’t like. So we have a very unusual dynamic. Could I explain it? Probably not. The most important thing I could and would say about that dynamic is that we have respect for each other and that’s extremely important. 

And also, we have ‘like’ for each other. The reason I use that word is that there are many people who you respect but don’t really like, and there are  a few people who you love but don’t like. In Salman’s case, I really like the person who he is... I find him extremely funny, and he’s extremely strong. There are a lot of attributes that we have in common, maybe also because of the years I’ve known him. As in any equation, there have been long periods of time where we’ve not really been in touch but there is a certain connect. He somehow knows when he needs to be there or when I need him, or if I need him. It’s an unspoken connect.

You’ve worked with all three Khans. What is so different about Salman, the actor?

Every actor has their own approach. I’m not saying the others do or don’t, but Salman doesn’t know how to differentiate between reel and real life. Like what you see of him on Bigg Boss is not contrived. When he’s talking to them, he actually cares about them. Another person might just take the money, read the script, execute it well and go home. But Salman can’t do that. 

When he goes on a reality show, if a child is performing on stage and there are things he could do better, he’ll go and whisper it in their ears. He’s a people’s person and he genuinely cares. By nature, he’s like that and that translates to his cinema — people relate to him because he speaks a voice they can understand, because he lives in the real world. There are no demarcations between his work and personal life. He takes his life and the people around him wherever he goes — it’s all one large extension. There’s no ‘This is my work life, I shut the work door when I come home and I’m a different person’. He’s all one big extension of the same person. 

You’ve taken to social media in quite a huge way. Are you enjoying it?

So a person who works with me and just rejoined me after a few years recently said to me, ‘You always say no when you are introduced to something new. And then you eventually come around and either like it or do it exactly as it’s supposed to be done or was asked of you.’ She’s quite right, that’s exactly my nature. 

With social media too, it was the same thing. Someone had asked me years ago and at the time I said no. No one pushed me to join social media, so I stayed away. I never even scrolled on Instagram until I actually opened an account. I had not even seen it on another person’s phone — that’s how removed I was from it. When I came on to Facebook, I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a nice platform to have, a nice voice to have. But Instagram has been the most fun, I’m a really visual person and I like pictures. I’m really enjoying it. 

2018 promises to be a big year for you — you have a lot happening...

It’s a really busy time right now. I have the Tiger Zinda Hai release coming up. Then I go straight into rehearsals for my next project, and then I have Aanand (L.) Rai’s film shoot. So it’s a busy time — it’s good, I’m happy. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s fun, I’m enjoying my time. It’s good to have your mind occupied. I’m also looking forward to a few days’ break — that would be nice too, and then get back to work.

Your filmography on Wikipedia mentions that your character in Thugs of Hindostan is called Queen Elizabeth. Are you really playing the Queen of England?!

(Laughs) My Thugs of Hindostan character is a hundred per cent Hindustani, desi girl. But thank you very much for the laugh!

What plans for the festive holidays?

Both Ali and I have decided that we’d take a call on the 23rd. Our minds are so focused on the film, there’s no place for anything else. After the film release is over and we take a few breaths, then I’m going to put my mind to it and ask, ‘Ab kya?’

Karishma Upadhyay
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