Ash is an icon, I'm nowhere: Kat

Katrina Kaif, whose performance in New York is still getting her compliments, is pleased as Punch... but the actress who recently celebrated her birthday with family in London, is also concerned about the huge responsibility this success has now thrust upon her.

“I’m going to be expected to raise the bar with each further release,’’ she said, “and the thought is scary.”

Taking stock of the top brass in Bollywood, Kat said, “I disagree with the constant statement that actresses in Bollywood are interchangeable.’’ According to her, each of the top contenders had an uniqueness, and she was certain that what Kareena Kapoor could do... she herself would never be able to.
“Kareena is a fantastic actress,’’ admitted Kat. “I’m still nowhere near her as a performer.’’

She was also of the opinion that Priyanka Chopra, Asin, Deepika Padukone, Vidya Balan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had their own individual strengths. “I hate this media refrain that heroines in Bollywood are all the same,” complained Kat. “Priyanka, Asin and Vidya are my contemporaries. Can you imagine Parineeta without Vidya? Jab We Met without Kareena? Or, for that matter, Fashion without Priyanka? They are all first grade in these films.’’

Naturally, she is peeved that a magazine called them all assembly-line products who could be replaced by one another without the audience noticing the difference. Katrina flashed, “By pigeon-holing us, the journalist is showing his or her lack of perception.’’

Another irritant is the constant comparison to Ash just because the two of them have endorsed the same products. “Aishwarya is an icon, I’m nowhere close to her,’’ said the actress who is currently one of the top contenders for Kareena’s No. 1 slot in Bollywood.

And, as for that reference also in the media to her being “a modern day Madhubala”, Kat asked incredulously, “Where did that spring up from? Madhubala was an iconic actress. I’m not even one per cent of what she was. And I’m not amused at such comparisons because, honestly, I have no illusions of having reached somewhere with the body of work I have behind me. My journey has only just begun.’’