Kareena is all for “We are Family”
Kareena Kapoor has always enjoyed the comforts and the warmth of her Bollywood family. Now she is ready to show off her family talent in the upcoming movie, ‘We Are Family’.
Did you make it a point to watch ‘Stepmom’ before you faced the camera for ‘We Are Family’?
I had seen ‘Stepmom’ several years ago but when I was approached by Karan Johar to be a part of his adaptation of the ever green hit starring Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts, I made it a point not to see the film once again, for the simple reason that I wanted to interpret the role of Shreya in my own inimitable style.
How tough was it to step into the shoes of Julia Roberts in ‘We Are Family’?
Julia Roberts is one of the finest actresses after Meryl Streep and hence it was a great honor and challenge to take up my role, though I knew that automatically I will be compared to her. To tell you the truth, my role in ‘We Are Family’ is more complicated than that of the role played by Kajol. The reason is that it is very easy to play a role with which people will sympathize but it is quite tough and difficult to play a role with which you, as an actress, have got to win the sympathy of the viewers.
Are you prepared for comparisons in the media with Julia Roberts?
It is not only wrong but also very unfair to compare me with Julia Roberts, because besides the fact that the times are different, I’d also say Hindi Cinema per se is quite different. Karan has not just set out to remake ‘Stepmom,’ but actually reinterpreted it after adapting it to Indian sensitivity. Every actress in Bollywood would have loved to play the role of Shreya that I have essayed in ‘We Are Family’, because Shreya is not only fresh but also contemporary. Shreya is like me. The role was easy to do, except the portions in which I had to emote to win over the kids, which was really challenging for the actress in me.
How was Kajol as a co-actor?
What can I say about Kajol? She is very spontaneous and bubbly and has tremendous energy within her. It is incredibly true but we got along very well like a house on fire. Kajol is always pampered on the sets and has got that kind of aura about her that you automatically feel like you should shower her with love and affection. I should confess unabashedly that it is for the first time that two good looking actresses who are also good in acting have been cast together in the same film.For me it was dream come true to work with Kajol. Though I had worked with her in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham‘, I was quite a baby then and we were on different pages in that film. I am glad that I got to meet her at this stage after ‘K3G’. I should confess that it has been a great journey fro me as an actress from ‘K3G’ to ‘We Are Family’.
Is it true that you have decided to lose weight for your next film with Karan Johar?
Much has been written about my obsession for zero figure. It is a thing of the past. In fact, I have put on a little bit of weight now because my fans want to see me nice and rounded. I am a vegetarian and I have decided not to become thinner. I am happy with the way I am and though I am also committed to Karan for his next film with Imran Khan, it is not true that I have decided to lose weight because Karan has asked me to lose weight to prepare for my part in the film.
To what extent does your family play a vital role for you?
My family is more important to me than even my profession. To me, my mother is my God. I have always believed that a family that stands together stays together. This is in fact the message that Siddharth Malhotra, who is the director of ‘We Are Family,’ sets out to drive home through his film with aplomb.
How was your equation with both Kajol and Arjun Rampal?
It was wonderful to have Kajol and Arjun Rampal as my co-actors. Like Arjun, I also love Italian food. Saif was on a holiday for ten days on location when we shot for ‘We Are Family’ at Melbourne. Since Saif and Arjun knew each other from the time both of them were in New Delhi, Saif, Arjun, and I used to go out for dinners. Kajol is also a great foodie and Kajol and I used to go out together once in a while too. Kajol used to pamper by telling me that I should eat this and I should eat that.
In what way has Saif supported you as far as your career is concerned?
I should say that I am extremely lucky that I have got a unique man like Saif Ali Khan by my side, whose thinking is quite different from that of other Indian men. Saif has supported me as far as my working is concerned. Today women can challenge the world and it is more about working women and I am happy that Saif has always encouraged me to work
Did the fact that you know Karisma’s kids as well as Saif’s kids help you in delineating your role in We Are Family?
I am fun loving and family oriented and love spending time with my friends and family. I love Karisma’s kids Samaira and Kiyan Raj. I consider them my kids. Samaira is exotic. She has big eyes like Lolo (Karisma). Kiyan Raj is a lady killer with his grey eyes. Since Lolo has known Sanjay from her school days, my jeejaji Sanjay treats me more like a kid sister than a saali. I love Saif’s kids Sarah and Ebrahim too. My personal life has got nothing to do with my professional life and hence I would not like to compare my role of Shreya in ‘We Are Family’ with me in real life.
Do you make it a point to watch Ranbir’s films?
I am very happy that Ranbir (Kapoor) has emerged as a star on his own right. After a long time, a boy from the Kapoor khandaan (family) has been able to make it big in Bollywood. Karan would kill me but I have yet to see Ranbir in ‘Wake Up Sid’ though I have heard that he has done a fabulous job in the film.
To what extent is acting a passion for you?
Acting is in my genes. It has always been my passion. I make it a point to attempt different roles in different films. I want to try my hand at all kinds of roles. If I get a great script, I’d like to work even in a horror film in the near future. Right now I am working in both ‘Ra.One’ which has VF effects besides Shah Rukh Khan and Arjun Rampal; and ‘Agent Vinod’, with Saif Ali Khan. I am also in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Golmaal 3′ in which I play the role of a tomboy, who though she has a pretty facer, is like a guy from top to toe. It is a role which is extremely special to me. It is going to be solid mainstream film which will be released during Diwali this year.
Is it true that you are not allotting your dates for Madhur Bhandarkar?
It is rubbish to say that I am not co-operating with Madhur Bhandarkar. I am committed to do his film, which is a take off on Marilyn Monroe. Madhur is still working on his script and hence the launch of the film has been delayed.
To what extent do you advise Saif about his career or vice versa?
Though Saif does not discuss my films with me because he believes that I am capable of choosing the best films as an actress, I make it a point to discuss with him about his films and his heroines and keep on telling him that he should also work with directors like Rajkumar Hirani.
How would you evaluate your career from ‘Refugee’ till ‘We Are Family’?
All that I can say about my career till date from ‘Refugee’ till ‘We Are Family’ is that I have no regrets at all with whatever has happened. I feel that my journey has been very colorful as an actress. In fact, I have got more than what I could have ever imagined not only as an actress, but also as far as my personal life is concerned. I never wanted to be known as a glamour girl. I could count on my films like ‘Omkara’ in which I could play Desdemonia, ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, and ‘Jab We Met’ in which I played the role of Geet who will be remembered as an iconic character on terms for not only performance but also style quotient, ‘Chameli’ in which I could render one of my career’s best performances by pulling off the complex role of a prostitute at a very young age of 22, besides of course ’3 Idiots’, which was my triumph as much as it was Aamir Khan’s because I was noticed in the film, in spite of the fact that it was a hero-centric film, which had there leading men.
-Jyothi Venkatesh
