Happy yet restless — that is Kriti Sanon’s state of mind. Even though her 2022 releases Bachchhan Paandey and Bhediya received underwhelming response, the actor is still reaping the benefits of Mimi (2021). “I am probably in the best phase of my career, but I want to climb higher,” she smiles, ready to open the year with Shehzada. Sanon was looking for something breezy after the intense Mimi, and the remake of Allu Arjun’s Telugu hit Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) seemed like the perfect answer. “In the ’90s, we used to have films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun that were complete entertainers. Somewhere down the line, they stopped making such films. Shehzada is a modern version of that [genre of movies].”

Rohit Dhawan’s directorial venture is largely centred on Kartik Aaryan’s character. Was she concerned about not driving the narrative? “My role is rewritten from the original. I play a lawyer; the female character in the original wasn’t [one]. My character is independent, strong-headed and doesn’t stand in the background. There are fresh scenes. Shehzada is a male-centric film. [Earlier, such movies] had female characters who were submissive and damsels in distress. That is changing.”