‘Validation at the box office is like an exam’

As ‘Tiger 3’ emerged as a record-setting film for Katrina Kaif, the actor said that she has discussed the possibility of a full-length film centering on her spy character of Zoya with YRF boss Aditya Chopra.

‘Tiger 3’, a follow-up to ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ (2012) and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ (2017), saw Katrina return as former ISI agent Zoya alongside Salman Khan’s super spy Avinash Singh Rathore. The Maneesh Sharma directorial is a part of Yash Raj Films’ ‘Spy Universe’ and is set after the events of the studio’s January release ‘Pathaan’.

“Me and Aditya Chopra have had so many discussions on it. Once a week, I will find him and be like, ‘Adi, what do you think about this? What do you think about that?’ So, that dialogue is always open,” the actor told PTI in an interview.

She added, “We have been working for quite a few years and have these conversations. Even before Adi was working on ‘Pathaan’, we used to discuss this character and that character.”

Katrina said that the spy universe, which also includes Hrithik Roshan’s ‘War’, is turning out to be a well-defined franchise.

“Each character is strong, well-written and well-defined and that’s what is beautiful about it. Every character is strong and unique and you can bring the characters into each other’s worlds. It adds to the whole story and picture,” she added.

‘Tiger 3’ was released on November 12 on the occasion of Diwali in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The film, also starring Emraan Hashmi, had collected Rs 324 crore gross at the worldwide box office.

In the third chapter, Katrina said that the goal was to create a well-rounded narrative and characters while also raising the bar for action sequences.

“With each film, you get familiar with the character and you go deeper into the story and their journey. This allows you to do more as you are more confident in your space and already have a history behind you,” the actor said, adding the commercial success of a film feels like scoring good grades in exams.

“The validation at the box office is like an exam. When you go for an exam, you want to get that ‘A’ mark and the box office is like that - the ultimate validation,” Katrina, 40, said.

The ‘Bharat’ actor believes that the USP of the ‘Tiger’ franchise is the compelling storyline, brilliantly crafted characters and high-octane action scenes.

She credited Kabir Khan, the director of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, for conceptualising a ‘novel’ idea about two spy agents, Tiger and Zoya and Ali Abbas Zafar for upping the scale in the sequel ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’.

“With ‘Tiger 3’, it was an incredible team journey. Adi has been making wonderful action films and Maneesh had a new take. What’s wonderful about Tiger and Zoya is that there is so much you can do with the story,” the actor said.

Kaif added, “To give an example, it’s like ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Bourne Identity’ or ‘James Bond’. The storyline can keep changing because of the life of an agent. Anything can happen. It can go anywhere and gives you a premise to do so much with the story.”

For Katrina, reuniting with Salman Khan has always been a delightful experience. The two have worked on movies such as ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya’, ‘Yuvvraaj’, ‘Partner’ and ‘Bharat’.

“There are so many days when Salman will take me by surprise. He will come with new energy or a different approach. Salman is such an honest person. With him, things are not calculated. Everything is very honest and organic. So, it will come from nowhere and you don’t know when it will come and the whole scene will light up,” she said.

She shared, “That’s always fun and special because we have done quite a few films over the years. You get to know that person, their rhythm, how they come on set, what they are thinking and how their mood is. And it’s fun when you can surprise each other.”

Katrina said that action has always been one of her favourite genres and she has been a huge fan of action movies featuring Hollywood stars Charlie Theron and Halle Berry.

According to the actor, it’s amazing to see nuanced and fierce female characters in action-packed films.

“I’ve always been a fan of Charlie Theron’s action films and Halle Berry’s action films. Whether it was ‘John Wick’ or Anne Hathway in ‘Batman’, I love these characters. I think they are so layered, feisty and strong,” said the actor.

Kaif added, “I can connect to that kind of physicality, determination, perseverance and willingness to fight till the end.”

Katrina will next be seen in Sriram Raghavan’s much-anticipated film ‘Merry Christmas’. The movie, which is set to be released on January 12, also features ‘Jawan’ star Vijay Sethupathi.AGENCIES