Meet the young star who’s candid to the hilt in this EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with ETimes:
Your bachpan ka naam was Koki…
That’s right. My mother kept that name. Till date, she calls me Koki. For the longest time, I wasn’t aware of what Koki meant. Much later, I learned that Koki in Sindhi means a chila. My mom has a fetish for K. She named my sister Kritika and pet-named her as Kittu. And then, I kept my pet’s name as Katori (laughs).
The name Kartik happened because I was born in November.
I used to see a lot of films in my childhood. My parents too loved to see them with me. However, they felt that I should become either an engineer or a doctor. But somehow due to my craze for Hindi films I guess, I felt that I should become an actor. I got this feeling when I was in the 9th standard. We were in Gwalior then.
So you informed your parents that you wanted to become an actor in 9th standard?
No, I did not. I knew if I did, they wouldn’t consider it as a sensible decision. Besides, my parents were in debt around that period and hence it was difficult to break away and come to Mumbai.
And then?
So, I continued studying. But I told my parents that I wanted to go to Mumbai for further studies. At that time, I had applied for admission in a Mumbai college and a Chennai college as well. The latter one fructified earlier and my parents took the admission and even paid my hostel’s fees. I asked them to take their money back, saying that I would get selected for Mumbai. I didn’t want my dream of making it in Bollywood to get crushed.
So finally you spoke up with your parents…
Yes, but I didn’t tell them why I was aiming for Mumbai. So yeah, I came away to Mumbai but I was hardly attending my classes in college. Meanwhile, I had got selected even in a third college which teaches Medical Science. That college wanted a 12-month fee in advance. It was difficult for my mother and father to pay that much amount in one shot.
I used to slip away for auditions. This went on for 2 years. I travelled in local trains. I stood in queues in coffee shops for auditions. I even underwent some fake auditions, of course without knowledge that those films were never going to be made. I started getting lot of ATKTs in college.
Go on…
Into my second year in college, I got to know that they were auditioning for ‘Pyaar Ka Panchnama’. It was my exam day and if I had to go for the audition, I had to not sit for the exam that day. I chose the audition over my exam. And naturally, I didn’t tell my parents.
I got it through Facebook. I was asked to send my pictures after my response to an ad, which said that a male actor was required in a lead role. And would you believe, I sent them a cropped picture of mine which had my friend’s arm over my neck, saying, “I am the guy you’re looking for!” (laughs). They loved the message.
The final decision went in my favour, but I was talking to the party in question for full 6 months. Initially they rejected me; they felt that I was just a young student who was not serious about this offer.
My audition for ‘PKP’ had happened at Kumar Mangat’s office. But this time I decided that I shall keep quiet about it. I had got a little superstitious. A little before this audition, I thought that I had cleared a certain audition and told many friends about it- only to later realise that the movie would never be made.
When I got rejected for ‘PKP’, I called them up to ask for my pictures back.
Unko laga yeh ladka toh shayyad peeche hi padh gaya hai (laughs). They called me for the second audition but still wouldn’t clear me. They felt that main
timepass kar raha hoon.
Then, one fine day, they tested me with the climax-scene monologue. They loved what I delivered. Immediately, I got my contract. The next minute, I was dialling my parents, and that is the day, when I told them what I had been searching in Mumbai and had finally got it.
The very next day, my mother and her sister arrived in Mumbai by train. They met Kumar Mangat and Luv Ranjan (producers of ‘PKP’). It was not easy for me to see them watching some of my romantic reels. Somehow they got convinced but asked me if I was sure of my decision. But my mom said that I should continue my studies no matter what. So I continued in pursuit of my degree in engineering; I was studying for my final year while shooting for ‘PKP 2’.
But wait! Before that I had met with a severe accident. While I was returning with the contract in my hand, my rickshaw overturned. I badly hurt my leg.
‘PKP’ came in 2011, ‘PKP 2’ came in 2015, followed by ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ in 2018. The long gaps must have taken a toll on you..
.
Yes, and I had started auditioning for roles that required me to play the hero’s friend. I wouldn’t be told what my character would be, but could gauge it in a day or two.
I really didn’t know what to do. I was in a fix. I didn’t know if I should accept what I was getting. And mind you, all this was happening after I had delivered a 70-crore ‘PKP 2’ which was made at about 10 crore. It was a very tough time.
Think of it, I wasn’t launched by anybody. Suddenly, around me, I saw that many youngsters were being launched in films. That was another tough time.
Hmmm… I think I tasted stardom only after ‘Sonu Ke Tittu Ki Sweety’ arrived in cinema halls. I saw that people were taking my name in theatres.
Tab tak mera naam register nahin hua tha, they used to call me ‘
woh monologue wala‘ or ‘
woh lambe dialogue wala‘. With ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’, I felt that I had the first taste of what I had come to Mumbai for.
But later, let me tell you that I was often questioned about my choices. Like they said that I shouldn’t do ‘Luka Chuppi’ but it ran away to glory. Many producers told me not to do it. All this despite ‘SKTKS’ having garnered 125 crore! But I had liked the script of ‘Luka Chuppi’ and I went ahead. The same doubts were raised over ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ but I hung on to my gut feeling- and it paid off.
The producers and directors started believing in me,
unka mere baare mein confidence level increase ho gaya. Aaj main bahut khush hoon that I have got a very loyal fan following; it’s rare to have this but I have it.
Were you disappointed when the film you did after ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’- ‘Love Aaj Kal 2’- did not do well?
Of course I was, but it yet gave me a lot of eyeballs. I am glad that I got an opportunity to work with Imtiaz Ali sir. After seeing the film, people said ‘
yeh kuch alag hai aur alag kar sakta hai‘. And it was here that the public’s confidence in me enhanced. ‘Love Aaj Kal 2’ opened to 13 crore-
jo shayyad abhi bhi logon ki nahin ho rahi hai. The Friday collection is very important. It gives you a sense of the number of people coming in for the star cast. Saturday and thereafter, it’s the film that takes over and tries to move ahead.
Exactly around the same time, a lot of things were being written about you that mustn’t have gone down well with you. Like it was said at one point that you have become too big for your boots. That was around the time of your departure from ‘Dostana 2’…
Yes, but I had a lot of self-belief. I said to myself that I would let my work do the talking.
And then came ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, which was a revolution.
‘Ban Bollywood’, ‘We won’t visit theatres’, ‘Hum khaali OTT dekhenge‘ and a lot of such talk was happening in those days…
Yes,
yeh sab chal raha tha. But trust me, I knew that ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ would open the theatres wide. I decided to promote ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ maximum. There were constraints on the budget due to COVID days then, but I went ahead.
Let me say it here that this choice had also been questioned. It was being widely said that I won’t be able to do ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ well enough. Here, I was being directly doubted. In my heart of hearts, however I knew that this movie will work and bring the public back to the theatres and I had told this to Kumar Mangat. I knew that I would be able to do it in my way and take this film to a high level.
I increased my promotion efforts. A rebellious attitude had ingrained in me. I had lost sleep and become an insomniac. I flew off to umpteen number of cities so that the film reaches to every part of the country.
It was also being said that I will not be able to pull off the song ‘Hare Ram Hare Ram’ but I did pull it off. During the shoot itself I knew that we had cracked it (song) perfectly. During the film’s making itself I told the makers that it (‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’) will register 150 crore. That tt went on to cross 200 crore is another story. It took me to the top. Filmmakers started believing that I can carry their film on my shoulders.
You don’t belong to any camp.
What you think has worked for you? Have people come up to you with advice?
Haan, har koi chahta hai ki aap sirf unke liye maximum kam kare. But I want to be everyone’s favourite. See, I cannot do small talk. I cannot please people by doing chit-chats. I don’t have anybody in my list whom I don’t want to work with.
Kisiko aisa lagna bhi nahi chahiye kyunki aisa hai hi nahi. Abhi saamne kisiko kaisa bhi feel ho ya na ho. Luv Ranjan sir has done 4 movies with me, Sajid Nadiadwala sir has done 2, makers are repeating me. I am in happy space.
The odds were against you…
All the odds were against me. As for your previous question that what has worked in my favour, I would say ‘self belief’ only. If I don’t believe that I am the best in the room,
saamne wala kyun mujhpe paise lagayega?
My personal belief is that Sachin Tendulkar has to feel he is Sachin Tendulkar, else…
Yes, when McGrath is running into him, he has to believe that he is Sachin. And, I think that the people identify with me. They have seen my struggle and they believe that
yeh kar sakta hai, toh hum bhi kar sakte hain. I think I am giving them the light of hope.
You are saying that deep down they believe that there’s something honest about you…
Yes. I am what I am. So, they relate to me. They feel a certain amount of ‘
apnapan‘. They see my hard work as well. And from my side, I also identify with the audience. I sort of know the pulse of our youth, I know what sort of films they want to see.
Not too long ago, Bhushan Kumar said it without mincing words that you had stood by him financially and not asked for a fee that is humongous…
I will never hurt a film or a producer. If I am given less because that amount needs to be invested in the film, I am perfectly okay with it. But if there is a lavish film and its financial going is good, I will charge what I deserve.
And your forthcoming films are…
‘Shehzada’, ‘SatyaPrem Ki Katha’ and the other Nadiadwala film to be directed by Kabir Khan.