The last time Kriti Kharbanda was seen onscreen it was opposite the powerhouse performer Rajkummar Rao in the film Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aaana. But the latter’s performance didn’t overshadow Kriti’s, instead it was the perfect opportunity for the actress to showcase her acting prowess.
It’s a hat trick
Post the success of this film, the actress has had a steady run in Bollywood. She was seen in special appearances in films like Karwaan and Veere Di Wedding, and in the lead role in Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se. This year, the actress will be seen in not just one but three films. “I am shooting for Housefull 4 and Pagalpanti simultaneously. I have recently signed Chehre which has Emraan Hashmi in the lead role, and also stars Amitabh Bachchan. I can’t believe I have gotten the opportunity to work with Mr Bachchan and I will be sharing screen space with him,” says an excited Kriti.
At the moment though, the actress is in the news along with her co-stars Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol and Pooja Hegde — all of whom have recently shot a special song with Nawazuddin Siddiqui for Housefull 4. Talking about her role, Kriti says, “Kriti (Sanon), Pooja and I play sisters. I learnt sword fighting for my role.”
Cold pursuits
Meanwhile, Kriti also shot with director Anees Bazmi and actors Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and Pulkit Samrat in London for Paagalpanti. They were filming in freezing conditions and Kriti says it was a challenge especially for her because of the clothes she had to wear. “I play Anil Kapoor’s niece in the film and I am glad I have got such a prominent role. It was so cold when were shooting in London, I could’ve died! One day Anil Sir walked up to me and asked if I would be able to make it that day. The wind was blowing at 30-40 km per hour, all the guys were in layers and I was in short dresses. For another scene I had to wear just a nighty and had to stand in the balcony. Four to five guys were holding the light because it was so windy. I somehow managed to survive in the nighty and finished the scene,” says the actress who has toned up quite a bit since her film with Rajkummar.
Kriti who flagged off the Reebok Float-A-Thon recently, shares her fitness mantra. “I change things around. I workout five times a week. I used to do a lot of cardio and that’s how I lost a lot of weight, then I realised that toning is important so I took up weight training. For flexibility I do zumba and pole dancing. It’s a combination of various things for me,” she signs off.
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