New Delhi: New York actor Neil Nitin Mukesh has spoken out about the early conflict he had with Katrina Kaif, his co-star in the film. Despite their natural chemistry onscreen, the actors' relationship got off to a difficult start; Neil said that they were ‘Dushman (enemies)’ when they first started working together.
Neil Nitin Mukesh reminisced about his first meeting with Katrina during the shooting of 2009 film ‘New York’. In a candid interview with On Public Demand, he said, "Pehle din humari mulakat hui toh hum bilkul dost nahi, dushman ban gaye the. Pehla scene humara saath main ho raha tha aur ladayi pe ladayi. Har baat cut kiye ja rahi thi. Kuch na kuch problem tha toh main bhi pooche ja raha hoon ki problem hai kya? (The first day we met, we were not friends at all, we became enemies. We were shooting our first scene together, and we kept fighting. She kept cutting me off. I was also asking what the problem was)."
Neil added that he later discovered that Katrina had issues with his complexion and his portrayal of his character. "Phir maaloon pada ki mere rang se kuch unko problem thi. Phir kisi kirdaar se, jis kisam se main usse kar raha tha. Toh kuch na kuch voh masti kar rahi thi mere saath aur main wahan pe bohot naraaz ho raha tha kyuki main aa raha tha ek intense Johnny Gaddaar se (Then I realised that she had some problem with my colour. Then with some character, the way I was doing it with her. So she was having some fun with me and I was getting very annoyed there because I was coming from an intense role 'Johnny Gaddaar')," he said.
How Neil Nitin Mukesh and Katrina Kaif Resolve the Fight
The actor acknowledged that Katrina was a bigger star at the time, but he was determined to do his best and make the situation work. He added, "Obviously, mere se bohot badi star hain aur uss samay bhi thi. Toh main soch raha hoon ki main aisa kya kar raha hoon jo theek baith nahi raha? (She was a bigger star, so I was thinking what am I doing wrong.)"
Both actors were able to put their differences aside when Neil addressed Katrina about her scolding of him on the set. Neil said that Katrina spoke about her nervousness, saying that she had never played such dramatic parts before and had instead mostly acted in comedies. They were able to put their disagreements aside and work together after a little back-and-forth.