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| Kareena Kapoor Khan smiles for the t2 camera at ITC Sonar Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray |
Hello, it’s so good to see you!” Kareena Kapoor Khan was a ray of sunshine when t2 met her in her suite at ITC Sonar on Sunday afternoon. Stunning in a black embroidered ensemble and with her make-up-free face glowing, Mrs Saif Ali Khan spoke about films and family, marriage and me-time.
Did you watch Singham when it first released or only when you signed on the sequel?
I did watch Singham when it released. I make it a point to watch all of Ajay (Devgn) and (director) Rohit’s (Shetty) films because they are really close friends of mine. This team of Singham Returns… I have worked with them on two previous films (Golmaal Returns and Golmaal 3) and so it was a blast shooting this film. For me, Singham Returns was like coming back home because we all know each other so well. And now I am travelling all over the country promoting the film with Ajay and Rohit, so I am having a good time. Ajay has really mellowed a lot… he’s no longer as prolific a prankster as he used to be. I have known him for 20-22 years… that’s a lifetime, ya!
I remember I really loved Singham… I loved the fact that it was so typically massy and a full-on masala entertainer. Those are the kind of films I love watching… masala and entertaining… as long as a film has fun dialogues and a lot of song ’’ dance sequences, I am really happy. As a viewer, that works for me, more than anything else. I can keep going back to films like Sholay and Amar Akbar Anthony.
But Saif doesn’t really share the same taste in films, does he?
(Laughs) Not really. But let me clear a misconception here… everyone thinks that Saif watches a lot of serious world cinema… but he doesn’t! (Laughs) Like me, he watches all kinds of masala films… the only difference is that they are Hollywood films! He watches films like Batman, Iron Man, Thor, Avengers… those are really masala films, ya! (Laughs) Saif’s very commercial in his tastes... like me, he also doesn’t like dark and depressing films that only try to educate but aren’t entertaining. In fact, I like watching films like The Bridges of Madison County, Revolutionary Road, The Reader… but you can’t separate Saif from his Batman and Iron Man DVDs.
Was shooting for this film tough, since you weren’t a part of the first film?
No, not really. That’s because the story of Singham Returns is completely different from that of Singham. A lot of new characters have been introduced and my character Avni, too, is a new character. The entire scenario of the film… the backdrop, the characters, the plot and the pace is very different from Singham. It’s been treated as a completely new film and not the extension of a franchise. My character is the comic part of the film… in the middle of all that heavy action and dialoguebaazi, I am the one that keeps things light for the viewer. Avni is quite mad… she drives a rickshaw, she beats up a journalist…
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Beats up a journalist?!
(Laughs out loud) You don’t have to worry! But I am not seriously beating up anyone in the film… it’s done in a very comic fashion. I personally feel that scene has turned out very well.
Is that something you have wanted to do for real?
(Laughs) Nooooooo… but it was fun to do that scene just to know what it would feel like! (Winks)
So what is that one interview question that really makes you see red?
(Thinks) I don’t know… no, not really, ya. I respect everyone and I know that they are just doing their jobs. Any question that I don’t like, I just clam up and don’t answer. But I don’t think I have ever been overtly rude to anyone. I am actually quite relaxed.
This is the most relaxed we have seen you... has this happened with time?
I think it comes with experience… with time. I feel I have also become a lot more mature, especially ever since I have been with Saif. I have spent so many years in the business that I have learnt to just take everything in my stride. I am actually quite unfazed about a lot of things in life and I feel that comes from the fact that I am currently in a very happy phase personally. Saif’s presence has been a very positive factor in my life.
But yes, I do read newspapers and watch TV and I know that there are certain things that are written and said about me that are untrue… but I really don’t feel any need to clarify. That’s the reason why I am not on any social networking site. It works for the majority of our co-stars, but both Saif and I are not comfortable putting our lives out for the world to know at every step… ‘Look this is what I ate for lunch’… ‘This is the party I am attending today….’ I don’t go out of the way to clarify.
But like you are sitting here and asking me questions about my life, I have no problem in answering. But social networking sites are really not my cup of tea. My PR (public relations) is also very bad… unlike other actors and actresses, I don’t call up journalists and plant stories about myself.
But don’t you think you lose out a little by not marketing yourself enough?
Yeah, I know what you mean. Maybe you are right, but I am a little traditional and old school that way. I value my privacy more than anything else. But like I said, if you ask me, I will answer… as long as something isn’t too offensive. Like someone asked me about Saif’s birthday plans and I didn’t hide the fact that I am going to be in London for his birthday (on August 16)….
So is the secret to a successful marriage a lot of holidays? You guys seem to be always on one…
(Laughs) The secret I guess is spending a lot of time together and finding out some me-time for yourself. We both try and do that as much as possible. But yes, we love holidaying and exploring new places together. We both love to travel… when we are not on holiday, we are planning one all the time! (Laughs) We want to do a lot of things together… we want to go to Jerusalem… we want to hold hands and see the Northern Lights (in Canada) together (smiles). And, of course, at the end of the year, we go for our annual holiday to Gstaad in Switzerland… that’s a ritual for many, many years now. I feel there’s a lot more to life than just films… especially after 14-15 years in the business.
And is that the reason you have been refusing so many films?
Yes! I want to travel... I want to read… meet a lot of people. And do just one or two films a year. Like this year I have Singham Returns and next year I have Kabir’s (Khan) film (Bajrangi Bhaijaan) with Salman (Khan).
One thing that hasn’t happened so far is you and Ranbir (Kapoor) in a film together. It nearly happened with Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, but you both refused the film…
Ya, that’s something that hasn’t really happened. But then, the options are so limited because we can’t play each other’s love interests (rolls her eyes). Zoya, of course, wanted to cast us as siblings, but honestly, how many of our films actually have strong roles for a brother-and-sister combination? But yes, I would really love to do a film with Ranbir. He’s so talented and so popular… the audience loves him.
Do you watch his films?
(Pauses) I haven’t seen his last few films, to be honest. Actually, Saif and I are pretty bad that way… we watch a lot of old films, but the new ones we have a lot of catching up to do. We know a lot about cinema, but we don’t really go to a movie theatre so much. But, as I said, I watch all of Ajay’s films because I like him as an actor… I enjoy Saif’s movies… then I am definitely going to see PK….
And is that because of the poster?
(Laughs out loud) Nooooo! I love Raju’s (Hirani) and, of course, Aamir (Khan) is superb in every film. They are my 3 Idiots team. But yes, I loved the poster (with a nude Aamir holding just a transistor). I am a huge Aamir fan… I think whatever he does is spectacular. Aamir and Raju together can’t go wrong… I am just dying to watch PK!
Priyanka Roy
