Katrina Kaif On Playing Zoya In 'Tiger' Franchise: 'It Is One Of The Strongest Female Characters'

Katrina Kaif delved into the intricacies of portraying diverse and empowering female characters in Bollywood during the press conference for her much-anticipated film 'Merry Christmas'.

Katrina Kaif essayed the role of Zoya in Salman Khan starrer 'Tiger' franchise.

Source : IMDb

New Delhi: Katrina Kaif delved into the intricacies of portraying diverse and empowering female characters in Bollywood during the press conference for her much-anticipated film 'Merry Christmas'. The actress, known for her versatility, drew a striking comparison between her iconic role as Zoya in 'Tiger 3' and her upcoming character, Mariya, in Sriram Raghavan's directorial venture.

Kaif began by expressing her admiration for the character of Zoya, labeling her as one of the strongest female characters she has had the privilege to play. The actress credited the depth and nuance of the character to Maneesh Sharma's impeccable writing in 'Tiger 3.' She said, "I think the character of Zoya was one of strongest female characters I have ever had a chance to play, especially in Tiger 3 it was so beautifully nuanced and so well written by Maneesh Sharma. I thoroughly enjoyed playing that character. But that world and that film, that character has its own charm."

Transitioning to her role in 'Merry Christmas,' Kaif shed light on the distinctive nature of Mariya's character. She emphasized that the world of Sriram Raghavan is vastly different from the one she inhabited in 'Tiger 3.' Talking about getting into Mariya's world, Katrina said, "It's a different world, it has a different tone, it's a different language, it has a  different pace and rhythm. For me to enter this world that is Sriram Raghavan's world, what I needed to do is to have an open mind. We have been discussing this film for a year and a half before we went in the set. He gave me a twenty minute narration and he asked me then to write Mariya's back story -- where was she, what drove her to become the way she is, what had happened in her life. So that whole process was extremely helpful."

She added, "We worked really hard before coming on set. I did a lot of workshops with a few different people, Sriram sir has a workshop with us as well. So I enjoyed this kind of a process, it's not all the time that you get to rehearse the scenes with your co-actor and to be able to do that over a few days. So, for me this was a really fulfilling experience.  A lot of work went into the preparation and I hope it's come out the way we had all hoped for the way Sriram sir envisioned it."