Zoya Akhtar: I didn't know Katrina at all

Director Zoya Akhtar is looking forward to her next release Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The director had a tough time setting up the perfect cast of the film, especially for the character essayed by actress Katrina Kaif. Zoya reveals that she did not know Katrina till she roped her for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Zoya Akhtar didn’t give the female cast of her forthcoming release, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) even a thought when she and co-writer Reema Kagti were scripting it. “I didn’t write the film with Katrina in mind. I actually wanted to cast someone new for that character,” says Zoya, who needed a half-Caucasian-half-Indian face for the part.

Admitting that ZNMD does seem more like a ‘guy’ film, the director spent a lot of time auditioning new faces in India and abroad, but didn’t find any actor worth the part. “I just couldn’t find any good actors. And around the same time, I happened to meet Katrina at a party. I really liked her vibe and felt she would fit the role,” She did not know the actress well, till she cast her adds Zoya.

Having been a casting director for many films including Farhan’s Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Zoya understands the importance of getting the right face for the right part. “The three boys fit the roles perfectly,” she adds. Recalling her many road trips that inspired the film’s story, Zoya says, “Luck By Chance was such an interior film. So when I finished that, I wanted to go out and shoot big wide frames and do something, visually and thematically different. And within three months, Reema and I had the script.”