I can trust SRK blindly, says Katrina Kaif

After a few misses at the box office, Katrina Kaif has finally hit a home run with her last release. The leggy lass will be next seen with Shah Rukh Khan in Zero and Aamir Khan in Thugs Of Hindostan. She talks to After Hrs about 
reuniting with the Khans and working with filmmaker Aanand L Rai for the first time.

Are you happy with the reactions to the teaser of Zero?

I’m happy that people have loved the teaser. Zero is SRK’s baby. He is so deeply involved with the technology part of his films that half the work is done there. He has set up a technology team and put together some of the best people in the business for it. So on that front, I can close my eyes and trust him blindly because I know the level he’s trying to achieve with this film.

What was your reaction when you saw the teaser for the first time?

I have seen a lot more than what is out and I can assure you that it’s going to be a film to watch out for. I feel what he and Aanand L Rai have envisioned is revolutionary. We tend to look down on our films, which involve graphics and CGI and VFX, but Zero might break those notions.

But it had a different concept earlier, which was altered...

Yes, it was a different film altogether when it was first offered to me. It went through a lot of changes in the last two years. The movie that you will see now is completely fresh, which is why it’s not titled Katrina Meri Jaan, although the initial plan was to call it that.

Where do you fit in now?

I play a character which is a satirical take on an actress. I have seen it happen in English films but I have never seen something like this done before in a Hindi movie. It’s very dramatic.

You are working with Aanand L Rai for the first time. How has the experience been?

Aanand sir is incredible to work with. He really pushes you to that limit, extracting the best out of you. He is not a director who will just land up on set and expect you to nail a scene. Rather, he will hold your hand and guide you through it. This film is not about action or heroism, it’s just the characters which is so wonderful.

But he’s known for his hinterland connect. Do you think that the huge audience reach helps a film of this stature?

Anybody who knows the audience and has that confidence of having a connect with the masses is always comfortable with the project they are putting together. Aanand sir is definitely one of those people. The most important thing about him is that he’s a great storyteller. But the fact that he gets a bulk of audience coming in from the remotest corners of India shows how well he understands the pulse of the pan-India audience. Zero is also a film which will have something for everyone. All of us will come out of theatres, with a different take on life.

Zero and Thugs of Hindostan are both two-heroine films. For a movie where you have another female actor, what do you look for before saying yes?

What matters the most is my role in the film. I’m doing exciting things in Zero and Thugs Of Hindostan is extremely exciting. Shooting for Thugs is a lot of hard work because we’re trying to create something different and visually stunning. I’ve worked with Aamir in Dhoom 3 and he’s got a sharp sense of what works. Then, there’s Aditya Chopra who’s one of the most important people in my life. He knows how to push me in different avenues. I’ll be training a lot for my action scenes and my dance sequences for the film. All this will definitely keep me busy for the next four to five months, at least.

But there has been constant chatter about your role being shorter than that of Fatima Sana Shaikh in Thugs. Comment.

All this doesn’t matter. Let’s stop trying to find ways to create some sort of drama when there’s none. Everyone in the film is more than happy to be part of a project like this — whether it’s Aamir, Amitabh Bachchan, Fatima or me. All of us are excited and working together. It’s Aamir and Victor’s film and whatever information they want to reveal, at whatever time they feel is correct, I leave it to them. It’s entirely their call and that’s how the production house works. It’s too monotonous for me to try and add to the drama.

Having worked with the three Khans again, has your equation with them changed at all professionally?

Not really. Obviously, I’ve a very different equation with Salman. But Shah Rukh and Aamir are amazing. They are all different as no two individuals can have the same personality. I’m just happy that I’m getting to work with all of them again.