Interview: Katrina Kaif

By: Simran Mody, India Correspondent

tarafinaOf all things for someone to get used to in the course of one’s life, the last thing one would expect another to struggle with is success. If one does well, it is assumed or expected the person would have no problems adjusting to such good fortune.

Then again, for someone as humble and down-to-earth as Katrina Kaif, perhaps finding comfort in success may not be as easy as it may seem. After all, the actress has landed major leading roles in some of the highest-grossing movies in an industry where success is not so easy to find.

Alas, Kaif has managed to find more than a little success in Bollywood, and with the prestigious Filmfare Awards ceremony just around the corner, she may have to get used to all the bells and whistles that come along with good fortune, should she bag the Best Actress award for her leading role in last year’s blockbuster film New York.

In a press conference shortly after nominations for next week’s Filmfare Awards were announced, Kaif said that, while she will be honored should be named Best Actress, she still has yet to become accustomed to success and good fortune, at least during her tenure as a Bollywood leading lady.

“I would say I am not used to winning awards for Best Actress, though I have put in as many as six years in the film industry ever since I made my debut with Kaizad Gustad’s Boom,” Kaif humbly said at her Mumbai press conference earlier this week. “I am happy even that I am nominated for the award. I cannot complain because I have won rewards at the box office with my films clicking in a big way consecutively in the last few years.”

As if getting used to concepts such as personal success and good fortune were not enough for Kaif, the young Hindi film star also has to adapt to men and women alike referring to her as one of the most attractive actresses representing all of Indian cinema. Even several magazine publications corroborated such claims of sex appeal, with Eastern Eye being the latest to comment on Kaif’s physique by dubbing her Asia’s Sexiest Woman for 2009.

Of course, adding to her sex appeal is her humility, which was on full display when she was asked about whether she sees herself as someone who is “hot and sexy.”

“I do not think I am hot and sexy,” she innocently quipped at her press conference, adding she cares more about delivering a quality product on screen than trying to maintain any sort of sex appeal. “I try not to disappoint the audiences who come to watch me in my films. To click in Bollywood, besides the fact that you have to have talent in an abundant measure, you should also have your own appeal. You should have something special. Every actress has her own plus-point to woo the audiences.”

To that end, Kaif did have to toot her own horn when finally cornered with a question about what it will take for her to claim a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Yet, even in answering a question about her talents and acting chops, Kaif still found a way to be polite and modest, saying she does not need to actually win the honor to be deserving of respect for her abilities.

“Salman Khan has never won the Best Actor award, though he has been acting for the last 21 years in Bollywood. It does not mean that he is a bad actor; it is just that he has not been lucky to have bagged the award,” Kaif modestly told reporters at her press conference. “If I deserve it, I’d get the award for my performance in … New York. Even if I do not get it, I’d be happy because at least I was considered good enough as an actor to be nominated for the Filmfare Award.”

While the Filmfare judges clearly concur Kaif was “good enough” to have her name appear in one of the five slots for Best Actress, the Bollywood actress is still not convinced she is the most deserving to make the jump to the top spot as “best of the best,” so to speak. In maintaining her modesty and humility, Kaif said there were two others who were very deserving to win the Best Actress category.

“Though I have been nominated for the Best Actress Award by Filmfare this year, I do not say that I alone deserve the award,” she quietly stated. “If you were to ask me who I would nominate for the Best Actress Award besides me, I’d say that Priyanka Chopra deserves it for her performance in Kaminey. I’d also pick Vidya Balan for her performance in Paa.”

Humility and modesty aside, Kaif said she still remains ambitious in what she hopes is a career-long pursuit of success, not just a short-term venture to claim a Filmfare Award. Accordingly, the Bollywood actress indicated she may be best served not winning the Best Actress Award this year, as then she will continue to have something to aspire to as her film career continues to progress.

“I will steal a quote of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, who had gone on record that he always likes to be seated behind, since only then will he be able to have the goal to go in front,” Kaif proclaimed toward the end of her press conference.

Whether she likes it or not, her goal “to go in front” has already been achieved, and now Kaif is in a position to maintain her success, in and of itself just as challenging as finding success. Luckily, Kaif had all the right stuff to find success in Bollywood, and no doubt she will continue to find ways to maintain her escalation among India’s elite artists.