‘Cocktail 2’ has been out for six days. The box office numbers are steady. But the conversation around the film keeps coming back to one question: how does Kriti Sanon’s Ally compare to Deepika Padukone’s Veronica?
Kriti has an answer for that. And she gave it without flinching.
The Veronica shadow
Veronica from the original ‘Cocktail’, released in 2012, is one of the most talked-about female characters in recent Bollywood history. Deepika Padukone played her with such force that Saif Ali Khan recently said several male actors turned down the film because they did not want to be overshadowed by her.
Kriti Sanon’s character Ally in ‘Cocktail 2’ carries a similar energy. Free-spirited, emotionally raw, a little chaotic. The comparison was always going to come. Kriti knew that before she even started shooting.
What Kriti said
Speaking to Filmfare, Kriti addressed the comparison head-on.
“Do I expect it? Yes, I do. It’s kind of obvious, as I’m doing a film which is a franchise to the film that she’s done before. The characters, somewhere, have a similar energy of being slightly disruptive, unhinged and free-spirited,” she said.
But she was quick to draw the line between the two characters.
“Ally and Veronica are so different, and I’m glad that they’re different. Why would I play the same character that Deepika has already done? That doesn’t make sense. That’s what’s fresh about Cocktail 2. It’s a completely different story with completely different conflicts and different characters. Ally has her own personality, even though it may seem like it’s coinciding somewhere. She’s a completely different person from Veronica,” she added.
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“If you’re secure in yourself, none of it matters. These are just traction-related conversations, which people use to make others feel insecure. Everyone brings something different to the table. There’s no one way of doing a scene,” she said.
She also spoke about the only competition she actually cares about.
“The only race that I’m in is that I want to do better than what I have done before. I genuinely want to grow and I want the next performance to feel like, ‘Oh, this is her best,’ or ‘This is better than the previous one’. That is an achievement to me because that charts my growth,” she said.
About Cocktail 2
Cocktail 2 is directed by Homi Adajania. It is a spiritual sequel to the 2012 film and stars Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles.
The film has held up reasonably at the box office. Its India net collection stands at Rs 66.15 crore after six days of release.
The original Cocktail was also directed by Homi Adajania. It starred Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan, and Diana Penty.