In Her Orbit

From winning the National Award within a decade of her debut to now venturing into production, KRITI SANON has achieved remarkable milestones. As she solidifies her position as a multiple-hyphenate (her skincare line is called Hyphen, after all), she sits down with Sharon D'Silva to discuss her accomplishments and aspirations

- Sharon D'Silva

A palpable buzz electrifies the studio we're shooting at in the heart of Bandra in Mumbai. "I think she's here," someone in the crowd whispers, and, right on cue, at precisely 12.29 PM, Kriti Sanon's five-foot-nine frame fills the doorway.

She strides in, exchanging warm greetings with each person she meets on her way to hair and makeup. Fast forward to an hour later, and Kriti has assumed her rightful place before the camera, seamlessly slipping into her element.

When a minor delay occurs in her close-up session due to a glitch with the air conditioning, she playfully borrows a blush from her makeup artist, adding a touch more colour to achieve that perfect sunkissed look. It translates beautifully on the screen, because, let’s face it, she’s stunning.

“I love people who are fast,” she laughs, deftly navigating the maze of wires and equipment as she heads back to the dressing room to change into another outfit. Later that evening, on Zoom, I ask if she ever manages to steal a few moments for herself through her packed schedule.

Truly, to carve out a few hours for our shoot was a balancing act, because she’s booked and busy. She chuckles. “Just to have chai, get licked by my puppies, and sit down with my mom and dad for about 15 minutes.” That’s when you know her priorities are intact!

Kriti’s odyssey embodies the narrative of a quintessential Bollywood film. An engineering graduate from Delhi, with three job offers in hand, might we add, she veered off the conventional path to chase her cinematic dreams in the city of Mumbai.