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She makes heads turn wherever she goes. Extremely beautiful and very talented, she is also surprisingly childish. If she doesn’t like what you have said, she sulks like a child. But to be frank and to be fair to her, she makes up very fast and says, “Yaar main aisi hoon, main bacchi hoon!”
Hi Kareena. Welcome to ETC Bollywood Business. Do you remember why I am mentioning the above incident?
Hi Komal. Yes, I think this happened after the release of one of my films…
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Yes. CHAMELI had just released and I had liked your performance in the film, but not the film itself. You had got really angry. But then you said, “Komal what to do, I am a child”!
That is true. And especially because you have known me for years since I was really a child. That’s why I have a right to say that…
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Does that child-like streak still exist inside you?
Yes. Every actor has it. It is good for your performances and it is also for your inner self to not take this stardom very seriously and still enjoy the childishness.
Watch More: ‘Golmaal 3’ Movie Stills
But how can you ignore the stardom when you are surrounded by the media? And with the fans going crazy: they want to touch you and take pictures with you all the time? How do you keep your balance?
For me it’s very easy because I come from a film family. I have seen all this in the past with Karishma and also my parents. So obviously, for me it’s a little more acceptable. And of course, we work for our fans to do that. If the media and the fans are not interested in you, then there is a problem. It is great to have fans. But, of course, there has to be a line drawn. So, I kind of switch off after work hours and know that I have a family life too.
Kareena you are among the rare breed of actors who want an honest review from the audience; you value honesty more than sugar-coated talk.
I think I have always been like that because I am a very honest person. If I see a film and I don’t like it or I like it, I would voice my opinion as it is.
But do you get a chance to be honest in this industry?
I think, I can at least tell my friends the truth…
Are there any true friends in this industry?
I have a few friends whom I like talking to. People I work with. I love working with Shah Rukh, Aamir, Karan, Ajay, Tusshar… I enjoy the company of these people. So, I expect that they respect my honesty because I could be honest and share my thoughts with them.
Do you ever have to resort to hypocrisy? Because in this industry, you can’t be honest all the time…
The fact is that over the years I have learnt to balance the whole diplomacy bit. I learnt that from Karishma, because initially I was very blunt while talking. As time went by, Karishma used to tell me, ‘You have to change, you have to change’. So I said, ‘Let’s not change completely, but balance it out.’ That is what I have done.
Don’t you feel suffocated sometimes, because the honest have a problem in lying? Doesn’t it show on your face?
I am a good actress.
Do you ever feel that even beyond your shooting hours, you are still acting?
Not really because I don’t go out too much to the film party or dinners. I spent time with family, and like to be with my kind of people, in my own cocoon.
So how are you playing the role of an aunt to Kasishma’s kids?
I am loving it because both Samiara and Kian love me like anything. I actually wait for even an hour of free time to go and visit them.
Samiara must be understanding that her aunt is a big star…
Yes. Recently I gifted her a laptop and she said, ‘Oh. I saw it on TV.’ She’s very proud of dancing on my songs, putting on make-up, etc.
Does she has it in her to become a heroine?
O God! She is gorgeous; she is stunning! I have a feeling, of course – that she will join Bollywood at some point in time – but right now she is more academically inclined, which is quite unlike the Kapoors. So let her enjoy her academic life also. She’s very bright and loves reading; very unlike Karishma, who just wanted to always joins films…
Stop talking about Karishma, let’s talk about you. How good a student were you?
Oh God! Please… I wasn’t actually that bad. I enjoyed studying a little bit. But, of course, by the time I was 18 years old, I realized that this is something I don’t want to do. Instead I wanted to dance around trees and enjoy!
Do you regret not completing your education; not becoming a graduate?
Not really. I don’t regret it. Although, sometimes I wish that I had studied a little more or focused more on the education part of it when I was younger. I also wish I read a little more, because I really envy Saif so much because he reads such distinct books about religion, military history and the like. I feel that I also should have gotten into the practice of reading since I was a kid. But since that didn’t happen , that’s the only thing I regret. But beyond that I love what I do.
Talking of Saif, what is your relation with his two kids?
We are more like friends than anything else. I think they have a wonderful mother and when they come home I am there as their friend. Besides, Lolo’s kids are really like kids, while Saif’s kids are almost adults. In fact, Saif’s daughter is gorgeously stunning. We are waiting for her now to enter the silver screen. She has the best of both her parents. Although she very good at studies too and wants to be like a doctor or an engineer right now.
You are the solo heroine in GOLMAAL 3 among a ensemble of male actors. Does that make you the another hero, especially given the fact that you have mouthed four-lettered words?
Actually when I was in talks with Rohit for the film, I told him “I am doing this film; I want to have a killer role, and I must be…”
The only heroine?
I think the story was written in a way that there would be only one love angle in the film. Rohit told me that I was not to be the heroine in the film, but the hero. I had never played such a role before, I don’t think that any mainstream actress has played this kind of a role , with all the gaalis and behaving like the hero, before.
Any interesting incidents from the shooting?
It was fun to be on the sets all the time. Although sometimes I was so irritated, I would just give the real gaalis, and everybody would have a good laugh. I told them, “Listen boys I am just trying yaar.” It was quite hysterical at all times. I would be like one of the boys on the set and after pack up, I would be treated like the queen.
Ajay Devgan and Rohit Shetty must have played a lot of pranks?
They would try some item or the other every day, but they never succeed. I think, Golmaal 3 has been one of the most memorable experiences in my career. Being the only girl among all the boys they made me feel so special that I still miss the G3 gang.
It was more like a picnic, everyone would be taking breaks, playing a game of football or volleyball, eating, chilling.. especially because all of us are such good friends. Golmaal 3 is a completely different, distinct and larger film. The characters are so well defined, I think is the best Golmaal film.
The fact that there are so many actors sharing screen time, so was there no worry about how much careen time will you get?
None at all. As a director, Rohit is so used to working with bigger casts that he pulls it off really well. Besides all the actors had their scenes and their punch lines.
After this, you are co-starring with Shah Rukh Khan in RA.ONE.?
Yes. Ra.One, it’s the name of a video game called Random Access One. I am playing Shah Rukh’s wife and the mother of the kid in the film. What happens between the father and the son is what the film is about.
Do you also have any action sequences in the film?
I do not like doing action at all. I am not into action kind of stunts or action movies, I am more the song-dance kind of person.
You actually enjoy doing these song and dance routines?
I love it. If I wouldn’t be doing it, I would wonder why am I not doing it. The song and dance form is a major part of our culture and films, right from the ‘50s. It’s the colour of our cinema and I love to be a part of it.
What else do you love in your filmmaking and what you hate?
I love to travel because shooting takes me places. What I hate are the excess promotions that we have to do these days. This is putting a lot of pressure on the actors. How many things can we do at one time? Between twelve endorsements and four films and promotions, there is pretty much no life left for the self. Sometimes health is also a problem, because you are over-worked, tired and exhausted. There are a lot of side-effects.
It is also because you don’t get paid for promotions?
It’s not just the money angle, if you promote the film, it is of course good for the film. But ultimately the product has to be great. A promotion overkill cannot help a bad film.
Sometimes you must realise, during the making of a film, that the said film will not work. Then how do you go out and promote the film, like in the case of KURBAAN?
I believe more in my performance and I was happy with the way my performance was projected in Kurbaan. So obviously I was harping about my performance. Although sometimes, you have to be a bit dishonest because finally it’s the producer’s call; after all he’s put in so much money into the film. Sometimes, the audience’s taste buds differ. The audience might like what I might not like.
Does it feel bad when a film, for which you have worked really hard, flops?
I am a pro at handling this now; I have matured over years. I don’t take success or failure to heart too much. Some films will work, others will not.
Kareena, your have delivered both hits and flops. Yet when we talk about top heroines, your name is always among the top few.. Do you think you are getting more than what you have given to the industry?
I think that I get what I deserve, because I work very hard for my films. I think God is kind, he is always there wherever I go. And I think, somewhere, people still respect talent and not just box-office success. It’s important to understand that talent does stand in the industry. I come from a film family where the Kapoors have proved their talent time and again. So people should respect that.
I just realized that you did 3 IDIOTS with Aamir Khan, you are doing RA.ONE with Shah Rukh Khan, AGENT VINOD with Saif and you’ll also be working with Salman Khan in BODYGAURD. So you have almost monopolized the Khans, who are more or less ruling the industry.
What do I say. Saif wanted me in Agent Vinod because it is a performance driven role. Same in Bodyguard. And for the last couple of years whenever Shah Rukh met me, he said “You have to be in the film”. It’s worked out well with all of them. I think I have balanced it out really well with all the Khans.
Are you also assisting Saif in the production of AGENT VINOD?
I am not interested in the production angle at all.
You may not be interested but because he’s your boyfriend, do you just pitch in a bit?
I keep myself away. But if he asks me – and he respects me a lot about something’s that I have learnt over the years – I will give him my opinion. But I am so caught up with these things, that I don’t have time to give him…
You don’t have time to give him? I think people are laughing at their homes.
Where? What do I do? Between promotions, endorsements and films, I have very little time that I can offer.
Does Saif also feel that you can give him very little time?
I think Saif’s very understanding . He says that it is the best phase of my career and he wants me to give it my all. So he is actually very supportive.
You are among the first actresses who did not try to hide their affairs. You never denied your relationship with Shahid and now with Saif.
I believe that fans should not be kept in the dark about the people they love..
So then the fans would also like to know if Kareena and Saif are getting married, and when?
The truth is that there are no such plans as of now. To be or not to be, it’s a big million dollar question! We’ll be honest when we know about it ourselves. Right now, Saif is very busy with setting up his production house and giving Agent Vinod his best, and I am busy with starting new films. But of course, when we do decide, we will be honest enough to tell people.
GOLMAAL 3 is releasing with ACTION REPLAYY, both being big films. Are you jittery about being compared with Aishwarya Rai?
I think that is all media hype. Ultimately it boils down to which film is better. By wishing that someone else’s film is not going to do well, my film is not going to do well. The fact is that we have a plus point because we are a big brand and with Golmaal 3 we have become even bigger. It’s my film and I am biased to my film but, of course, I want Akshay’s film also to do well. Diwali has enough space for both films! It’s unfair to really compare and pit actors against each other, because ultimately it is the script that has to talk.
Finally, Kareena what do you do when you are not working?
I watch films, spend time with my niece and nephews and like going out on a family vacations.
What is the secret of your beauty?
I do yoga, every morning, at least four times a week. I am also a vegetarian . I enjoy my vegetables, my karelas and gobis. Not that I don’t enjoy the occasional chocolates, gelatos and pizzas.
Do you know how to cook?
Yes. I am a good cook; I was trained at school. But it’s been many years, since I last cooked anything. I can cook normal Indian food, dal sabzi, etc. I am also the best cook at home, because mom and Karishma are horrible cooks!
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