A graduate in electronics and communication engineering, Kriti Sanon was set for a different career path until she realised her true calling.
In an exclusive conversation with indianexpress.com on her 28th birthday, actor Kriti Sanon talks about being an outsider in Bollywood, her education and upcoming films.
Even after four successful years in the industry, she battles the caution that every outsider in the industry grapples with. “You know inside out that you don’t have any kind of backing. You can’t afford too many mistakes. You become a lot more cautious of your choices. Once you have done decent amount of work, then you might feel at par with others in the industry. But yes, there’s this sense of ‘I can’t mess it up because I don’t have anyone there to give one more film for no reason,’” Kriti tells indianexpress.com.
While the actor says she does not feel any “outsider complex”, Kriti remarks that she does feel out of place at Bollywood parties.
“Yes, you do feel a little out of place when you go to these film parties because it’s the sense of not knowing people and other people knowing other people but that becomes better with time. The more you interact with these people, you gradually become comfortable.
“I am a lot better today. I am not very awkward now. But even now, there are times when (at a film party) I feel, ‘Okay, what do I do now?’ So, I go back in my zone. But I know I will have one or two people, whom I can hang out or chill with,” she says.
A graduate in electronics and communication engineering, Kriti was set for a different career path until she realised her true calling. Now, as she looks back at her short journey in films, the actor feels it is her education that has helped her survive in the competition-obsessed industry.
The fact that she has a degree to fall back on in case her acting stint doesn’t go far, ensures she does not take up any project for survival.
“My education has helped me in my profession as an actor in every way. It’s not about a particular field. That’s why I say any kind of education will help you in life, now or later. Like, I am a lot more self-aware and confident when I am dealing with people. The fact that I had a B-Tech degree, irrespective of whether I would use it or not, I was a little secure in my head that no matter what happens in my life, it’s not that I can’t do anything.
“It’s not that I won’t have anything to fall back on. So, this sense of security makes you confident and takes you away from being desperate to just being passionate. You don’t take wrong decisions. You can end up taking wrong decisions when you are desperate about it but when you are secure, you just follow your passion and don’t care about other things that might worry you otherwise,” says Kriti.
As for her upcoming films, the actor recently wrapped up the first schedule of Housefull 4, also starring Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, Kriti Kharbanda and Pooja Hegde. The fourth film in the comedy franchise is being helmed by Sajid Khan.
Kriti is set to begin filming Luka Chhupi, which also stars Kartik Aryan. It will be directed by Marathi filmmaker Laxman Utekar.
“One schedule of Luka Chhupi is going to be in August. I am very excited. It’s a fun script. The character is something, which is very new and it will have a different dialect because it is based in Mathura, Gwalior. It is my third collaboration with Maddok Films. I am super excited. I am glad that I am being able to do very different kind of films, whether it’s Arjun Patiala, Housefull 4 or Luka Chuppi or Panipat, which I will be doing at the end of this year,” Kriti Sanon signs off.