A downward spiral: How crucial is Fitoor to Katrina Kaif’s career?

Former box-office queen Katrina Kaif has been going through a bit of rough weather personally and professionally. [caption id=“attachment_2621814” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Katrina Kaif. Firstpost image.[/caption] While her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor has hit some choppy weather, on the professional front her uninterrupted streak of hits between 2009 and 2012 has also hit a rough patch. Her last films the atrocious Bang Bang in 2014 and the disappointing Phantom in 2015 found her struggling to act beyond just being a statuesque mannequin. The effort was laboured (is that what Salman meant by calling her a mazdoor?) The two films under-performed at the box office. As for the earlier Dhoom 3, the ambitious mazdoor gave up the chance to work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani, so that she could give ample dates to satiate Aamir Khan’s quenchless appetite and the prolonged quest for perfection. In between a strange chemical reaction took over Katrina’s career. She began to see herself as more than just an actress. When Bhansali met her for Bajirao Mastani she suggested the name of a modern choreographer who specializes in fusion dances to guide her through the steps. Bhansali politely reminded her that she would need to dance to whatever tune he, the director, wanted. The meeting didn’t go well. Katrina’s career followed suit. The filmmaker who didn’t take a single suggestion from even the mighty Bachchan during Black, cold-shouldered Katrina’s suggestion. She then said no her buddy Ayan Mukerjee’s Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani because, at that point of time,she wanted to keep a distance from Ranbir. She chose to do Bang Bang while Deepika did Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. Pairs are not made in heaven. They are made in hell. For a while now Katrina has been floundering in the shallow waters of uncertainty. The once staunch professional found herself making wrong career moves , like Dhoom 3, which features her in 3 and a half scenes. Her fans wondered if this what she was so proud of when she went on and on about her dances, clothes, co-star, etc etc. As for Bang Bang, just why Katrina elected to be part of the remake of a Hollywood film Knight & Day that is widely considered the worst of film of Tom Cruise’s career is anyone’s guess. Maybe she wanted to work with Ranbir’s former best friend Siddharth Anand (who directed Bang Bang), and not with Ranbir. I know this is a long shot. But what does one say about a thoroughly professional actress with a keen sense of what works at the box-office suddenly steering into a fit of self-destructive madness? Who in her right mind would do a film entitled, Bang Bang? Katrina Kaif was Sonakshi Sinha before Ms Sinha appeared on the scene with her acumen or choosing winners at the box office. Lately Kaif has lost a lot of ground, and wrong career moves in only part of the problem. Lack of good advice is also taking its toll on her career decisions. Earlier Katrina turned to Salman Khan before taking a call on which assignments to accept. Now she does it on her own. With her limited knowledge of Hindi, it is doubtful Katrina can comprehend the gist of script narrations. Quite literally, Katrina has lost the plot. Fitoor is extremely important, as it rides on her shoulder. All her big films so far have featured Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir and Akshay Kumar. Now she ’s on her own. This one will prove if she can carry a film on her dainty shoulders.Or has she lost ground irreversibly to Deepika Padukone? Says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “Fitoor is very crucial to Katrina’s career. She enacts a crucial role in the film and the fact that she has been paired with an actor with whom she hasn’t worked earlier, makes it crucial for the pairing to work. A film likes Fitoor demands a strong performance and her act will be viewed with a magnifying glass.” Adds another trade pundit Atul Mohan, “Fitoor is her litmus test. She has a film for first time after attaining superstar status without any top-rated Khan or star opposite her. This one will decide how far she goes from here.” Film critic Raja Sen disagrees, by saying, “I feel it’s more crucial to Aditya Roy Kapoor’s career, as he has only been in bad films or supporting roles. A few solo hits of this scale will legitimise his position in the industry somewhat.”