Kriti Sanon finds herself in a challenging yet fulfilling journey post the success of her previous film, Mimi. Currently shooting for multiple big-ticket projects, the actress now awaits the digital release of her latest film, Hum Do Hamare Do, releasing later this month on Disney+ Hotstar. She will soon be seen in the official Hindi remake of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo opposite Kartik Aaryan, titled Shehzada. She talks about how her life has changed since being the face of a successful film, her upcoming projects, and being attracted to roles that scare her.
Sneha Menon Desai: In 2019, you had said that your 5-year plan is to get to a point where a writer will write a killer script keeping you in mind. In 2021, are we on track?
Kriti Sanon: I don't know if they're writing scripts keeping me in mind, but they're definitely thinking of me sooner, which is great. Some people do say that they have written it keeping me in mind, but I don't know how much.
Sometimes, the first name that comes to the director and writer's mind is yours and halfway through the process, they start imagining you and then start writing the script. Sometimes, there are people who send you a synopsis of a film with posters already made with your face, so that feels really nice, because you see that they've gone ahead to the level of seeing you on the poster.
SMD: It's been a while now since Mimi released and all the positive adulation around it. Since you've had some time to assimilate all of it, I want to ask you what really changes for an actor after a film does this well, especially when you're the face on the poster?
KS: It boosts your confidence a lot to take more risks, to do something different, to shoulder more films like this in the future. You are not so stressed about Box Office numbers because you feel that the film has received the validation and love that it should have. Many more people start looking at you with those eyes, where you get more films offered that revolve around your character, which are shouldered by you. You get a little hungrier as an actor.
SMD: And then you end up breaking a leg.
KS: That's also true, but that's not because of Mimi. Seeing Tiger's (Tiger Shroff) videos, especially the crazy ones that he has been posting, knowing that I am doing an action film with him… I am supposed to do action for the first time. I look athletic, but I am not. I have never been.
Sometimes, people take me in their team while playing a game and later realize that, 'Oh no, she can't play.' But I am a quick learner, so I've always been someone who's driven and hungry to do more. It's challenging for me and that's why it's exciting. This [the broken leg] was when I was prepping for Ganapath. I had just gotten into the momentum of learning kicks and riding a bike and all of that. The knee is a very delicate joint and a little bit of over stretching can [result in this].
Technically, I should not be roaming around, I should just be lying down, which I'm not because I don't have the space for that. I am also shooting for Adipurush. But I think this is what I'll remember – it's when you fall when it's nicer to rise up.
SMD: Since there is a similar number in Hum Do Hamare Do, I want to know, how does the 175 million views on Param Sundari stack up against the critical acclaim that you got for Mimi? What gives you a bigger kick?
KS: They are both different forms of validation. Obviously, that's a song and this is a film. As an actor, it is more validating when you get more love for a film. The song doing really well has multiple factors – there's AR Rahman, Shreya Ghoshal and it's been filmed really well. The one feedback that I got, which I read on multiple comments, was that after a long time, there's a dance number that is clean. It doesn't feel like an 'item song.' It's groovy. I love songs, I love dance numbers, I love something that has a good hook that stays in my head when I hear it.
SMD: You also said in 2019 that you hadn't received a role that scared you. And now, with Hum Do Hamare Do, Adipurush and Ganapath, has that changed?
KS: Mimi was the role that, at a point, scared me. I didn't know what I was going to do. Adipurush, for that matter, is a very challenging and a tricky space, also because of the weight and the responsibility that the role [of Sita] comes with. As an actor, I keep hoping that I am not crossing the line, or hope I'm not doing too less or too much. The action bits that I am doing in Ganapath are not something that come very naturally to me, so that is something that is scaring me at this point.
There are many more roles which are very challenging, and I think I'm also subconsciously looking for them. As an actor, you do get greedy. You stop getting excited by normal things, by things that you've done before. There's one side of you that's knows that you can do a certain thing, and then you're constantly trying to find something that scares you. There are still many more to come, I'm sure.
SMD: Finally, what is the most empowering thing about being in this place right now? What are you enjoying the most?
KS: The fact that I'm able to do a lot of different films at the same time. Each film and character are so away from the other; they're not clashing or crossing each other's paths at all – whether it is Hum Do Hamare Do or Bachchan Pandey, that is a masala entertainer, to Bhediya, which is a horror comedy. My look, in fact, is so unique in the latter. When it comes out, that is going to be a bit of a double take that you'll give. Adipurush is completely different – it's history and mythology, and Ganapath has action. When I am doing look-tests and seeing the characters next to each other, I feel like these are all different girls. It feels nice because you're getting that opportunity to play very different characters. This is what I am really enjoying at this point. I can't wait for it to translate on the big screen.