Kriti Sanon: ‘Most men were not willing to do a film where 60% was me…’

From making her debut along with Tiger Shroff in 2014’s Heropanti, to proving her acting chops yet again in Mimi in 2021, Kriti Sanon has shown that she is an actor first, and not just a Bollywood heroine who is all about glam.
After playing the titular role in Mimi, which premiered on JioCinema and Netflix last year, the 31-year-old actor is poised to make a return to commercial films with Akshay Kumar-led Bachchhan Paandey this week.

About working on multiple projects simultaneously and being super busy in the last few years, Kriti Sanon said, “I actually signed all my films in 2020, which was very strange. I think people were writing films at home and coming to me. In this period, I got very different kind of films, which is something very exciting for me as an actor because I could choose to be a part of different kinds of worlds. These were all the films that I was in talks through the pandemic and started shooting every time a lockdown opened up. I am just fortunate and blessed that I am finally getting the opportunity to pick different roles. There used to be a time when I was offered same kind of roles.”

Kriti has Adipurush, Shehzada, Bhediya and Ganpath in the pipeline. She also mentioned how refreshing it is to see filmmakers come to her and ask what kind of movies she wants to do. Some even keep her in mind while writing a film. While she is happy with the films that are coming her way, Kriti wants to avoid being typecast. She told , “After doing Bareilly Ki Barfi, 99 per cent of the films coming to me were small town films in similar genre. And now it is nice to reach a point where people are coming to me asking, ‘What kind of film do you want to do?’ Something which was very rare for me before this year. I am now able to tell people what I want to do, what world I would want to get in, or I’d love to play a grey character. This change is really nice to see. Sometimes it happens so gradually that you don’t even realise.”
So what are the factors that help her decide what kind of commercial films she wants to do? She shared, “You just need to be true to your character. What kind of film it is, doesn’t always matter. If it is a comedy, I am not going to jump into it and start doing comedy, unless the character would be in that situation. My character in Bachchhan Paandey is an urban girl who is very gutsy. She knows what she wants and how to get it. She wants to make a film and picks this very dangerous guy as her subject. She calls her friend and goes to Bagwa to actually do it. She is in a dangerous world with dangerous men. And, that’s what attracted me towards her. So, for me, in this kind of film, you take a lot from your fellow actors. It is a lot of give and take with your co-stars. You can’t prepare for the role. So, I just came on the sets to have fun.”

Kriti Sanon also mentioned that it is her instinct which guides her to choose certain films. “It is more about your gut feeling, and at times even if something offered to you is similar to what you’ve done recently, you do it,” she said.

After Mimi, Kriti said that many male actors would feel insecure if their roles were smaller than hers. She said, “There are very, very few who would let others share screen space equally. I’ve been in situations where most men were not willing to do a film where 60% was me and 40% was a male actor’s role. Nobody was willing to do it. So, I obviously think that these things need to change a little. What Akshay did in Atrangi Re was so commendable. It was a small but good role. Akshay is so not insecure of anyone, and plays his part honestly.”
Does Kriti now feel a change in the way people perceive her? She agreed, saying, “I see the type of questions being asked to me undergo a change as well. With the kind of films I am being offered, I feel there is a change in the way makers look at me.”

Kriti Sanon will next be seen in Ganapath, her first out-and-out action film. She said, “I am very excited and nervous because I look athletic but I am not. So I keep getting injured a lot. But I am excited as I have the body frame for action, but it needs a lot of ‘mehnat’. It is not easy, and I am working hard for it. I have already shot a bit for Ganapath, and it looks promising.”