Kriti Sanon recently completed a decade in the film industry. Over the years, she has expanded her horizons beyond acting, establishing herself as an entrepreneur and producer as well. The actress, who has headlined several women-led films, spoke to Filmfare about the evolving space for female-centric stories in Hindi cinema and whether the industry has truly changed.

However, she believes there is still a long way to go. The Cocktail 2 actress continued, “We still have way more male-centric films but it is changing. I just wish for a day where it’s not termed “female-oriented”. Even a film driven by a female protagonist should have the same budget as a male-driven film. That’s when we’ll reach true equality. The budget should be for the story, not for who is leading the film.”

Kriti also addressed the issue of pay parity in the industry and acknowledged that a significant gap continues to exist between male and female actors.

Read the full cover story here: Cover Story: Kriti Sanon On Cocktail 2, Comparisons With Deepika Padukone and Constant Reinvention

Kriti Sanon recently reunited with Shahid Kapoor for Cocktail 2, marking their second film together after Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. During a recent conversation with Filmfare, the actress spoke candidly about her co-star and shared something she believes audiences may not fully appreciate about him.

Talking about a lesser-known aspect of Shahid, she said, “I genuinely believe that he can actually direct a film. I would love him to direct a film because he has so much knowledge of filmmaking. We’ve seen him in intense roles. The two films that I’ve done with him (Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Cocktail 2) have been relaxed, happy and chill in the rom-com space.”

She continued, “So we kind of sometimes talk about, “Let’s do something intense now,” because I want to see the intense side of Shahid. He doesn’t like rehearsing too much. He doesn’t like being bound by lines or by conventional approaches. He likes to flow with it and make something seem real and natural. In this film especially, he’s let go of the super-intelligent side of him. Sometimes, and this happens with me as well, when you have a mind that thinks a lot, you overthink a lot and analyse everything. This is one film where one needs to just breathe, flow and let go. He brought spontaneity and improvisation to the forefront. His character’s dilemma is, in a way, the story of the film. It was nice to see an actor who, like me, despite being an overthinker, can completely let go, and trust the director’s vision.”

Kriti also reflected on the chemistry she shares with Shahid and revealed when she first realised it had clicked between them on screen.

“We both felt it when we did Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. In that film, for a human being to fall in love with a robot and for it to be believable, chemistry is what you needed. We used to say that there is something about us together, the chemistry is always there. There’s something electric about it, which we got to explore a lot more in Cocktail 2, now that I was playing a human being. Ally and Kunal have this strong, electric and slightly sensuous chemistry where they can also have deeper conversations. That’s a rare combination.”