KR: I am travelling so much right now that I would want
to go back to my house in Manali which is so beautiful.
I never get to be there, so I hope to travel there.
SM: What do you do when you are completely on
your own?
KR: Play with my little dog, Pluto. Just read a book. I like
morning time. I like the chirping of birds, just singing,
lazing around.
SM: So you’re nature’s child?
KR: Yes.
SM: It is always said that people who are constantly in the
public eye always look for little bit of private time because
that’s when we find ourselves. Every time you do a very
intense role in a film, do you seek out that me-time?
KR: Characters leave very strong mental impressions on
you. You literally live them and go through those traumas whether or not
they exist in reality. Films can be very intense. You can feel mentally and
emotionally exhausted after a film is over.
The last film I shot was Manikarnika (The Queen of Jhansi), which is set in
a war zone. So sometimes you tend to lose track of time and yourself. Then you
need some time to unwind and rewire and go back to at least being a bit balanced.
SM: I feel, as a person you are misunderstood in this industry because a lot
of people find you intimidating or rude. But when I work with you, it’s
always fun. I face the same problem. What do you have to say about who
you really are?
KR: I honestly think I am fun around you and people I like. I have a very
small circle of friends. I’m picky and sensitive to energies. Sometimes I’m in
a group and I’ll be that person who has gone completely quiet. I can’t
pinpoint exactly why, but some people can do that to me. And I’ve learned
that when you’re famous, you also become a target of not just love and
admiration but of vengeance. People will pick on something you said—even
a joke—and it’ll become a story for them to tell for their whole lives. I don’t
want to subject myself to bad behaviour. So I don’t go out announcing that
I’m available as a friend. I choose my friends. There are very few Sabyasachis
I’m going to meet!
SM: All of Bollywood is getting married. Any plans?
KR: I came very close to getting married twice.
SM: What is marriage to you?
KR: Actually when I wanted to get married, I had unrealistic and delusional
notions about marriage. But now I think I better understand the institution.
A very interesting man once told me a bond with age becomes bondage.
I don’t think it’s made in heaven or anything but yes, marriage is a great
institution that ensures emotional, financial, and physical bonding. If all of
these things are taken care of, people can focus on what they really need to
do, what they want to dedicate their lives to. ■
“It’s not the way you
look but your
confidence that makes
you attractive. I tell a
lot of women who are
large to learn to wear
fitted garments and
not hide.
—Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Dress, Sabyasachi. Earrings, Sabyasachi Jewelry. Watch, Omega.