‘HAVEN’T FACED CASTING COUCH’
Kriti Sanon recalls her Bollywood debut; says she made her foray through a proper agency
An outsider in the film industry, Kriti Sanon has managed to become an established name in Bollywood. At a recent event, she spoke about her initial days. “I am an engineer, so it was a huge shift for me. I was a little lost... It seemed like a dream which was too big,” said Kriti.
Asked if casting couch is still a reality in the industry, and whether she faced it, the 27-year-old answered, “Such things do exist, but not only in Bollywood, other places, too. Fortunately, I haven’t faced casting couch. I was signed by an agency and thankfully, nothing like that happened.”
Reminiscing about her first film, Heropanti (2014) — alongside actor Tiger Shroff — Kriti said: “I was really excited. Back then, it was taking baby steps. I was fascinated by everything on the sets and I started to respect this field and everything related to it. Whistle Baja was my first Bollywood song. I have always been a dancer at heart, so it was a high for me.”
As she progressed, the actor got a chance to work alongside her favourite star, actor Shah Rukh Khan, in Dilwale (2015). Talking about being an admirer of “Shah Rukh sir”, she said, “I have been his fan since childhood. I am a huge Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge fan.” Kriti is also a die-hard fan of Madhuri Dixit. “I used to dance to the song, Ankhiyaan Milau,” she added.
Her latest film, Bareilly Ki Barfi, has her playing a fan of Madhuri: “Bitti’s character was challenging, very different from anything that I had done,” said Kriti.