Katrina Kaif, at a recent press conference for her upcoming film Merry Christmas, shared that working with Sriram Raghavan was always on her bucket list.
Katrina Kaif is teaming up with Sriram Raghavan for the first time for her upcoming film Merry Christmas. At a recent press conference, the actress talked about how the Vijay Sethupathi starrer turned out to be a special film for her as she got a chance to work with an ace filmmaker like Raghavan.
As per a report in PTI, the actress said, “For me, working with Sriram Raghavan was always on my bucket list to do and he’s been one of my favourite directors. When I heard the story, I was in awe that I was going to get to work with him in a story like this which was so incredible. And also it was right for me, that’s why sir and I came together for this film. He must have also seen that in the character.”
Speaking about she started Merry Christmas with an ‘open mind’ as she knew the film would be a different experience for her as an creative person, Katrina explained, “It’s a different language, it has a different pace and rhythm. For me, to enter this world that is Sriram Raghavan’s world, what I need to do is to have an open mind.”
Further, the Tiger 3 actress recalled how Sriram gave her a narration of the story and asked her to build a backstory for her character Mariya in the film.
“He asked me to write Mariya’s back story, like where she was, what drove her to become the way she is and what had happened in her life. So, that whole process was extremely helpful. We worked really hard before coming on set. I did a lot of workshops with a few different people. Sriram sir has a workshop with us as well. So I enjoyed this kind of a process, it’s not all the time that you get to rehearse the scenes with your co-actor and to be able to do that over a few days, so, for me this was a really fulfilling experience,” Katrina told reporters.
Katrina said that she is always open to newer challenges and believes an actor should be fearless with their choices.
The ‘Zero’ actress said, “You can feel nervous or a little fearful when you step out of the zone of a large commercial entertainer. But, I think, the solution for that is you be fearless and overcome that fear because the experience is really incredible for an actor.”
She added, “It is an important thing for my growth as an actor and as a performer. So you feel the fear and feel the nerves, that’s good, let that drive you and give every film your heart and soul, that’s what I try to do.”
Elaborating on how she personally enjoys acting in both commercial entertainers and unique content-driven movies like Merry Christmas, the actress explained, “As an actor, you are looking to tell a story and be a part of a story that is really interesting. And for me, Merry Christmas ticked all the boxes. It was really a unique journey, a unique story about two fascinating characters. The minute I heard it, I was hooked. There are high octane action films which is wonderful, it is a certain type of cinema. But there are also intimate and unique stories to be told and that story has to be told at a scale that is suitable to that particular story. For an actor to be able to do both is what we are supposed to be doing and it’s what I personally enjoy doing.”
Merry Christmas revolves around the story of two strangers over the course of one night. The film is slated to hit the big screens on January 12, 2024.
