Kareena Kapoor Interview

Q.1.What do you think about the music of Tashan
I think Vishal-Shekhar have done a great job. It’s very fun and youthful, it’s keeping the script of the film in mind. I think my favourite song is Challiya.I think I am being a bit selfish because it’s my song but the way we have shot it in Greece is fantastic and I think that’s the best song according to me in the movie. After that is Dil Haara it’s a song with me and Saif which is also shot in Greece at fantastic locations and it’s a great love song so I think I am partial towards these two.
The music is great.

Q.2.What was it about this film that made you decide to do it
I think it’s a tailor made role for any actress I think I am extremely lucky to get this role. It’s like a hero’s role it has action, romance,song,dance everything in it besides which I think it has a lot of closeness to me, the kind of girl she is, very headstrong, knows her emotions. I love the role, I love the character and I think it’s a great package of this huge commercial movie and being the only girl in it .I think I am extremely lucky to be getting this role.

Q.3.Can you tell us something about the character you are playing
My character name Is Pooja Singh in the film, She is a complex character. It’s very different for a girl to play, I have never played a role like this before basically following her emotions, doing the right thing but ofcourse very sharp at the same time. The reason she is sharp is because of the circumstances she has gone through so whatever she does in the film has a very powerful reason behind it so it’s a strong character.

Q.4.Can you tell us what was the experience like working with Anil Kapoor
I think with Anilji it’s the greatest experience ever because he knows me as a kid. He is like family to me my whole family and his family are really close. I think he is one of India’s finest actors I think I learn a lot working with him. The way he has played this character he’s made this movie, its just unbelievable. Every time I work with him my mouth is like left open see him perform.

Q.5. Can you tell us what was the experience like working with Akshay Kumar
I have done about 9 movies with Akshay and I have known him since he has done his first film.When he was given his first shot I was behind the camera so that’s the relationship I have with Akshay, its an emotional relationship, I am the most comfortable with Akshay Kumar as a co-star maybe because he has seen me in my school uniform with two pigtails hanging around so it’s a relationship which I think you feel really close to. As of today he is completely rocking, he’s the shinning star of Bollywood. It feels great because I have been with him through the journey of his career and I feel really happy. He is a pivotal part of this film which is a great role for him and I think working with Akshay for me is always fun and games, it’s great. When we start shooting and when we finish you never get to know. Throughout my career I think I have enjoyed working with Akshay Kumar the most and I hope to continue to work with him throughout my career.

Q.6. Can you tell us what was the experience like working with Saif Ali Khan
Saif is one of the most respected actors. As an actress I respect him the most as an actor, he’s one of India’s finest that we have. I think he can do any role and the way he has played this role is just unbelievable the kind of nuances he adds to his character, the way he speaks and modulates his voice I think you can just learn so much from him besides being a fun loving person its so nice and warm to work with him as a co-star. I get really intrigued when I get to learn something from an actor I work with because when you are working on a set in a working atmosphere two actors should connect, two actors should be learning things from each other and I think Saif is one actor that I have really learnt a lot from. The way he is so spontaneous, the way he makes a shot appear so natural, he makes the dialogue so natural, It’s just unbelievable I have never seen an actor like that before. I absolutely love working with him and I hope to do many more movies with him.

Q.7. What was it like working Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal Shekar this is the first time they have done something with me in a movie. I loved their music in Yash Raj’s earlier film Salaam Namaste
I think it was great. I used to listen to the title track all the time. I think Vishal-Shekhar have this quality of adding a lot of youth to their songs. The youth of India really connect with their kind of music and I think with this film they have done a range from Dil Hara to Challiya to Falak which is also a very nice song which has me and Akshay in it. I think they have covered an entire spectrum and done a great job.

Q.8. The look in this film is most talked about? Can you tell us something about your experience working with Aki Narula
I am really excited about the look of this film. I Think words fall short to praise the kind of talent Aki has because I think as a designer he is one of the most talented designers we have. He gets into the skin of each and every character, he knows exactly what to give when and in which scene. I think he is just fantastic and what he is done for me in this movie is absolutely commendable he has just changed the entire look, it is something that has never been seen before. I think the whole idea of keeping it very grunge and rugged for me has really worked because I don’t think an Indian actress has really done that on screen before normally an Indian actress is always very particular about looking beautiful, looking really perfect and her hair being in place and not looking messy but in this film we have brought a lot of sexiness for the character through the clothes, make up and the hair. We have all worked together as a team to give me a unique look. I am really excited and I think Aki has done a phenomenal job, he’s going to win a lot of accolades for this film for sure.

Q.9.Is there any particular outfit in the film you would like to wear otherwise
In my song Challiya there is a change of 10 costumes.I would like to wear each one of them even if I go out for a dinner or a party because it’s going to take on to the youth like anything. Aki has just put a lot of things together like shoes, accessories. I love Pooja’s signature outfit A white shirt with nice jeans and boots.
I think I live in that always and I think that’s why I like those outfit’s the best.

Q.10.Did you have to take any special training for the film considering that it is an action film
Before this film started I kind of knew that for this character to look different from what I have done before, I have to train really hard to kind of change the shape of my body which I wanted to do. A lot of actresses abroad they do that they work on one film at a time, change their look for a particular film body wise as well people loose weight, put on weight. For Tashan it was a conscious effort to change my body structure and work towards it because I wanted to look a bit lean because there is a lot of action in this movie and I think a lean girl doing action always looks much better so I trained really hard for about eight to nine months and was on a strict diet regime for this film but only for Tashan because that’s the only way this will look different from every film. Adi,Victor,Aki all of us sat together and thought that it would be great if I could loose weight and get into great shape and the response has been phenomenal. I am actually enjoying it I have got used to it.

Q.11.Can you tell us the experience working with Vijay Krishna Acharya?
Victor is a fantastic writer the way he writes is unbelievable and I think to be a great director you need to be a great writer. The greatest of directors are fantastic writers. The way Victor has etched this film and written the dialogues and written everything and the entire screenplay is great it’s to the “T” he knows the pulse of the audience, the masses what gets them to the “T” he has a lovely quality in him also apart from making this huge commercial film that he’s made a huge quality of being very real he still wants his characters, his actors the ambience around him to be very real which I think is great about Victor, I love that because I think the more real it is the more you can connect with the audience so I love that quality in Victor and I think he gives his actors a lot of space ofcourse he tells them what he needs, what he wants and then he lets the actor flow and he is very open minded which I think is great and thinking that it was his first directorial venture is something that I could not believe. I have worked with a lot of directors but thinking that this is Victor’s first film you cannot believe it, he’s like a seasoned director he is one director to really watch out for. I would like to work with him again, I had the time of my life shooting this film besides being a wonderful director he is a wonderful human being and I hope this film is a huge blockbuster for Victor because he is really great.

Q.12.Can you tell us a bit about the shoot experience in Greece and Ladakh
Shooting this film has been a marathon. It’s been tedious but great fun because the team has been so much fun we have been like a unit, a real family. We have traveled to Greece,ladakh, Jaisalmer,Kerala,Haridwar so its going to look like a really beautiful film because the spectrum is like all over from Ladak to Kerala to Greece which is really exciting. Greece was beautiful it was freezing cold, I have given a shot where they have put me in minus water which I think is the best shot in the film but let people see it. The water was really freezing but I did it for my work and for something that I really worked hard for.Ladakh was heavy terrain it was tough to shoot but like I said when you are working with a family when you are doing great scenes, saying some great lines, you are enjoying your work so much I think it’s great any kind of terrain is good besides which we all were like family doing some great work and spending some quality time in the evening. The oxygen level was low in Ladakh,so it was tough but still the dedication that Akshay, Saif and me had, we still use to train because that is the dedication that we had the love for our film Tashan that we had. We still would train under such circumstances and work out very day like insane so that’s the level of commitment we had because we just wanted to do it for this film.

Q.13.What is your Tashan quotient
My Tashan lies in the way I am, my attitude towards life, towards work, towards people. I think Tashan basically means attitude for me that’s what it means.

Q.14.Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film
It’s tough to say because there have been so many memorable incidents that have taken place. Its a truly special film.Shooting in Ladak,Greece and Jaisalmer its been an experience that each of us have just cherished. Each day, each moment is unforgettable the kind of passion, dedication the kind of work that we have put in this film. We have shot a song called Dil Haara in Ladakh which we were shooting in this heavy terrain, we had to dance in a stony path Akshay me and Saif, I was wearing heels which were about 4 inches and I had to dance wearing this really short dress. I think the way we shot that song was the most memorable experience for me because the song was great, the moments were great and we enjoyed doing it so much. It was really tough but we laughed it off we had a great time shooting the song.

Q.15.How was your experience doing action
To be honest I am not really the action sorts, I was really nervous because I don’t enjoy action as much as I enjoy dance or an emotional performance for me that’s what does it. I think the action director Peter Hinnes is just outstanding he is the best action choreographer we have in India. He is truly unbeatable the kind of precautions he took because we had really heavy action in the climax of our movie but the kind of precaution that he has taken we were literally mollycoddled as actors which I really owe it to him. I have done a lot of action and the safety measures were great. I enjoyed doing a sequence with Anilji it’s like a hose pipe sequence where he is putting water on me. It was an enthralling experience, really energizing took a lot out of us we were really drained by the end of it but according to me I enjoyed doing that and that’s the best action sequence I feel.

Q.16.You are doing a Yash Raj Film production after a while how different is it now
I think it’s like coming back home. My sister has done Dil Tho Pagal Hai with them which is one of her greatest films and I use to always be there on the sets all the time, kind of watching and learning Yashji direct. We have been like a family it’s always been there because I have been like a literally filmy kid always on the sets so coming back home is what I literally felt. I think it’s the richest experience to be working with Yash Raj Films and to be working with Adi .I think it’s a heart warming experience because the kind of dedication they have and the entire production team has towards a film is heart warming. That’s why they make the greatest film in India because the work that goes in drives you to give your best I think it’s my richest experience ever and I hope to do many more films with Yash Raj