Katrina: The transition from Rekha to Tabu was difficult for me

Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur's Fitoor, which is the adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, carries a lot of promise. Ahead of the release of the film, SpotboyE caught up with the duo for a freewheeling chat. Excerpts:

Fitoor is based on Great Expectations. Have you guys read the book?
Aditya: I didn’t want to read the book. Gattu (as director Abhishek Kapoor is fondly called) has adapted the book in his own way. As an actor, I think your script is your Bible and that’s where you should get all your clues from. I didn’t want to confuse myself by reading Great Expectations.

Katrina: I have read the book. I have also seen all the movie adaptations; my favourite is the Gwyneth Paltrow-Ethan Hawke one. But Fitoor is very different – Abhishek has not directly lifted it from the book. He has used the characters, their personality traits, the situations and come up with his own story.

Katrina, you approached Gattu saying that you want to do the film...
Katrina: It wasn’t really like that. Gattu and I met at a house party and I had read that he wants to make Fitoor. We just started talking about it and instantly, we were on the same page. We both shared an equal passion for the film.

Aditya, you came in much later. Initially, Sushant Singh Rajput was to do the role...
Aditya: I remember reading about this film being made with Katrina and Sushant. As soon as I read, I thought to myself, “That sounds like a lovely project. I would have loved to do a film like this.” And somehow, one-and-a-half years later, I was a part of the film. Destiny!

Would you say Fitoor is your most difficult role?
Katrina: No, I have had many roles which have been challenging for different reasons. This one was challenging in a different way. For example, my role in Raajneeti was extremely challenging – in terms of the transformation my character goes through, the long speeches that I had to learn and deliver in front of 5000 extras. Of course, Fitoor was an exciting journey especially because Gattu gives you a lot of freedom.

Are you saying that Fitoor was less challenging because you’ve grown as an actress?
Katrina: I hope so. I think every day, every month, every year, you are trying to better yourself. You also learn a lot from experience. Like most people, I came in without any formal training. Earlier, when I used to be on the set, I used to try and figure things out, try to understand what is happening. But today, when I stand on a film set, I enjoy it much more.

Gattu is known to be a taskmaster with a temper...
Katrina: He doesn’t have a temper. By the end of the film, I was very smitten by him. For me, it was exactly how I wanted it to be with my director. I find it very inspiring to talk to Abhishek as a person. And if you are deeply inspired, your work will be seamless. Most importantly, he is one of the most well-spoken people I know.

How was the experience of working with a talented and senior artiste like Tabu?
Katrina: I was very curious. I remember when we were shooting our first sequence together, for the first few takes, I was just looking at what she was doing. She has a reputation of being such a talented actor. So I just wanted to know how this great artiste performs.

 In between the shots, I think we really connected. I was just asking her all sorts of questions. I am sure she must have felt weird in the beginning, she must have thought we were taking her interview. I went on and on – what used to happen 8 years ago? What was the industry like then? I had so many questions- but she was very sweet.

Tabu replaced Rekha. Did you find the transition tough?
Katrina: It was a difficult transition because we all had been married to the idea of having Rekha on board for a very long time. The film was announced, then we started shooting 9 months after the cast was announced. So we lived with the film for very long. So yeah, it was tough.

You have almost stopped signing films. Besides Fitoor, you have Jagga Jasoos, Baar Baar Dekho and you haven’t signed anything after that. What’s the reason?
Katrina: I don’t think I have stopped signing films altogether. In your career, there are certain phases where you work more than others – maybe due to personal reasons or because you’re focussing on other aspects of your life. So that does have a bearing on your decisions for sure. But right now, I am working everyday. With Fitoor, Jagga Jasoos and Baar Baar Dekho, my hands are full. And like I said, my involvement with each film is much higher now. Earlier, I could run from one film to another. Now it’s not like that.

Fitoor is about love and heartbreak. Where do you stand in your personal life – love or heartbreak?
Aditya: I will be very happy if I find love. I am not in love with anyone. I have been single for a while.

Katrina, what about you?
Katrina: I have learnt to be content in whatever state I am in.

Your fans want to know whether you’re single or not...
Katrina: I love that people want to know about me. I feel people only want to know about you when they care about you. I hope that they are always connected to me in that way. But people have seen me for the last 10 years and they know that I never speak about my personal life. It’s just my way of living life.

Image Source: gazabpost & indicine