Katrina kaif

Katrina Kaif effortlessly inspires awe among her co-stars. “Her very presence makes everyone alert. And most take it as an honour to work with her,” says co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh. At a press conferences, she is the picture of poise as she takes uncomfortable questions in her stride, and parries the label of ‘most googled actor’ with a soft ‘thank you’.

Talking about “New York”, Katrina impressed with her straight approach to a rather sensitive subject.

In the film, which is the story of three friends in New York against the backdrop of 9/11, Katrina plays Maya, a young collegiate with Sameer (John) and Omar (Neil).

Shares Katrina fixing her hair, “The film is stylish. It talks of the feelings of three friends who undergo a change post 9/11, as the story extends till 2008. It is the affection, love, romance and friendship that bind these three and separates them too. How Sameer and Omar are detained and tortured on suspicion after 9/11, and how Maya is made to believe their dual identity, takes the story further.”

The film is based on true incidents in New York. Khan’s research and Katrina’s past references further intensified the feelings. She shares, “This film had the strongest effect on me. As an actor, I have done so many roles, some of which had grave emotions too. But the emotions in this film made me restless. We got really involved because it is a human interest story.

“It tests your intelligence, loyalty, conviction and bearings. And that’s why it has so many layers, something which I found extremely difficult to portray. As we shot shades of emotions on everyday basis, it didn’t feel all that profound. But as we watched the final product together, it became difficult to get over it. The truth stings. It was hard to go home with that hangover. I took me two days to come out of it. I went through similar feeling when I saw relationship grow in ‘Ghajini’. I cried watching it.”

She adds, “When I spoke to my Muslim friends in London during the shooting of this film, they narrated horrific tales of mental trauma they underwent post 9/11. It rendered a feeling of embarrassment, bitterness, restlessness and humility. Frankly, the film has humbled me.”

However, the film has bright shades too. Katrina sums up, “It is not the truth and the torture, but the love story of friends that is the USP of the film.”