There can’t be anyone luckier that Katrina Kaif. In her short career she has already churned out hits that will make her contemporaries envious. Her much debated pairing with John Abraham in NEW YORK and alleged eventual annoyance of Salman Khan has kept the rumour mills abuzz. Katrina clears the air in a tete-a-tete with our correspondent on the eve of NEW YORK’s release
Q: NEW YORK is a big film and you must be excited.
Katrina: Oh! (Laughs) certainly I am. It’s a big… big … film and I am really excited. I am keeping my fingers crossed. It’s a lovely film…a story that will touch everyone’s heart and most importantly it is a Yash Raj film. I had always wanted to work with Yash Raj Films like every other actor.
Q:However, in doing so controversy has once again erupted. Apparently, Salman Khan did not like your pairing with John Abraham and your closeness to him?
Katrina: I don’t know how such stories come up!!! (Surprised) Moreover, these are personal things and we all are professional actors. When we are acting we don’t allow such things to influence our work. In fact it was a great experience working with the entire crew.
Q: It’s being said that Salman Khan wasn’t happy with your intimacy with John, as they are not the best of buddies in the industry.
Katrina: In fact that is again a completely personal thing. People can have issues and they are the best to handle it and solve it. That doesn’t come in between the work. I have always maintained that. I will never do something on screen, which I think I am not comfortable with and this time too there wasn’t any exception.
Q:So… you didn’t have any issues with John while working…
Katrina: (Laughs again) Why should I? He is a good co-star and we all enjoyed working on NEW YORK.
Q:You have been maintaining that going by your role, NEW YORK is very personal to you.
Katrina: Yes of course. It is the real me…that I am in my real life….Happy go lucky. My character Maya is a university going girl who is popular among her friends. The best thing is the role asked me to be very casual, I had minimal make up and that was the best part of the film. I was absolutely comfortable playing this role.
Q:Okay…you really sound excited. But did you have any jitters in your mind because director Kabir Khan’s last film KABUL EXPRESS failed at the box office.
Katrina: A film failing at the box office might have many other reasons. I knew KABUL EXPRESS was a different kind of story. Even Kabir told me. ‘See, KABUL EXPRESS was like a bit of a documentary but this one is going to be completely different’. So I was like ‘Okay…he is a good filmmaker and I should take this project.’ (Smiles). But more than anything, I love the role of Maya.
Q:So are you contented with the kind of roles you are getting now.
Katrina: I don’t think I should be contented. That actually won’t help me grow. I am ready to try out different roles and I think this is the right time. So far it has been a very good year. Last year too was good and I thank all my directors for showing their faith in me.
Q:In fact you have another two releases, AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI and RAJNITI.
Katrina: As I said I am trying out different roles. AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI is Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film. It’s a comedy but not the regular stuff while RAJNITI is a very different story…It’s hard hitting, and it has me in a very serious role. So there’s a lot happening.