Will Katrina Kaif Ever Learn To Act?

After 30-plus films, Katrina is still playing second fiddle in Jagga Jasoos

July 14, 2017

When was the last time Katrina Kaif acted well? Let us give you a hint, it starts with N and end with R. The UK-born ‘actress’ has NEVER literally acted in any of her films; she’s mostly just been there.

(Scroll down for honest summaries of all her roles so far)

It’s like the performing arts equivalent of Oscar Wilde’s quote, ‘To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.’

Watch the trailer of the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Jagga Jasoos and you’ll figure out exactly why.

She continues to play the second fiddle and is nowhere willing to take up new challenges in the age where her contemporaries in Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are willing to experiment even on international platforms (successfully or not is a different question).

(Not to forget the likes of Vidya Balan and Kangana Ranaut who too have not shied away from testing their capabilities with a wide variety of roles)

We all remember how Katrina took her first steps in Bollywood as a sexy supermodel in Kaizad Gustad’s 2003 movie Boom. It wasn’t really a great start with Ziya U Salam of The Hindu attributing the weak performances of the film’s leading ladies to “the vacuity of their expressions”.

But the fact that she has made logs look more expressive with her acting thereafter, despite the abundance of opportunities in Bollywood (read Salman Khan), is baffling to say the least. She found comfort in that unabashed-eye-candy, Hindi-speaking-hot-NRI-chick mould and hasn’t willed to break free ever since.

And although she was a part of commercial successes in the years between 2006 and 2008, the repetitive nature of her acting and roles was there for everyone to notice. As put by Huffpost’s Ankur Pathak, replace Sonia of Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005) with Sanjana of Welcome (2007) and you’ll once again arrive at Sonia from Singh is Kinng (2008).

One was forced to ask the question that didn’t any director urge her to watch Madhubala or even Madhuri Dixit’s movies so she might pick up a few tricks of the trade?

In the years to follow, Katrina however showed promise with roles like Rajneeti and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. But then Sheela Ki Jawaani happened!

We might be totally guilty of drooling over her smoking hot item girl avatar; but whatever bleak hint of promise she had shown as an actor before it was unfortunately undone once she decided to take this path towards commercial success.

She’s coming into the long-awaited Jagga Jasoos on the back of some toxic commercial and critical flops, including the 2016 films Fitoor and Baar Baar Dekho.

“Katrina is good so long as she has to just be herself. So she dances, smiles and flirts well, but the minute a dramatic scene comes up, her utter inadequacy as a performer shows,” said one of the reviews for the former.

As things stand currently, Katrina Kaif has Salman’s Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and another Anand L Rai 2018 project in her kitty. She might even be a (thoroughly undeserving) recipient of the Smita Patil Memorial Award and would pocket more money with one film than the author’s entire lifetime income.

But the fact remains that, in a career that spans 30-plus films, there isn’t a single character that stands out for Katrina’s nuanced acting. Nor can you remember even one outstanding dialogue that the actress has delivered.

Read that again, this time slowly. We rest our case.

Katrina Filmography

Boom (2003) – Ambitious supermodel

Sarkar (2005) – NRI love interest

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005) – Eye-candy

Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006) – Good-looking, sad girl

Namastey London (2007) – NRI brat

Apne (2007) – Anonymous female actress

Partner (2007) – Cute boss

Welcome (2007) – Good-looking, helpless girl

Race (2008) – Doting secretary

Singh is King (2008) – Good-looking, but already committed, girl