Kareena: Salman's working with a married woman in Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Before the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kareena Kapoor Khan speaks to India Today about the movie, her co-actor Salman Khan, her relation with husband Saif Ali Khan and more.

Do married women above 30 have it hard in Bollywood? Is there a dearth of good scripts and well-etched characters?

No. I don't think so. I am proud to be a working, independent, married woman. I think choices are sometimes what we go wrong with and that's about it. For me, I have always balanced commercial cinema with content-driven films. That is something I always do. Most people said that Salman Khan would work with a woman half his age, but no, he is working with a married woman in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and I am proud to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I will do commercial films as well as heroine-oriented ones like I have always done. I have done a Chameli, an Omkara, a Dev, but I was also doing Golmaal, Bodyguard and Jab We Met. I have done a Talaash, but at the same time, I've done a Singham Returns as well. For me, it is always going to be a mix.

In Hollywood too this is a hot topic -the widening age gap between actors and actresses and how actresses find it tough after a certain age.

You also get scripts for how good you look. It is important, no matter what people say. You are as old as you look. Let's not get mixed up here, that it is only about your talent. Salman Khan is the biggest superstar because he is a fabulous actor, but also because he is gorgeous.

To be a popular commercial actress, you need to look great, have a great body and be a super talented actress, which is a bonus, and you have to do a song and dance as well. From Sridevi and Madhuri (Dixit) to my mother-in-law (Sharmila Tagore) and Karisma (Kapoor), they all have done commercial films and balanced it out with heroine-driven films.

This is your fourth film with Salman Khan. Has he evolved?

The only thing I can say is that he is unfazed. He is unfazed by his success, his failures and his superstardom. That's what makes him the biggest superstar. I have also known him since I was 10 years old. I feel like he is a part of my family. I don't think he has really changed in all this time, even though his fan following and his superstardom has grown so much. His personality is still the same.

You are happy to feature alongside big stars, even though you may not get the same screen time as them.

I don't understand why people say that in commercial films, you can only be an arm candy because that's just not true. In 3 Idiots, it was about three male friends, but you can't forget my character, and the visual of me in a helmet and glasses will always be a part of the film. Similarly, in Ra.One, you can't take Chamak Challo out of the film. You can't imagine Omkara without Dolly. Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham was a multi-starrer, but Poo till date is iconic. But of course I enjoy doing a Chameli and a Heroine too. Heroine may not have worked, but to me, it is one of my closest parts. I have given my life to that role. But some films work and some don't.

Even in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, it is a sweet, simple story, and the love story is very mature and real as compared to a lot of Salman films. Yes, my part is a small one, but it is relevant. You will feel that this is a character from Chandni Chowk.

So small is good enough for you.

Some people may be there for the longest time, but wouldn't do anything. It is about what you are doing. I am not going to say that I will only do a film that is about me. Yeah, I have done that, but I like to mix it up. To have a long career, you have to have done that kind of work. Most people think that an actress' shelf life is about 10-12 years, but I am in my 16th year in Bollywood. Next year, I will have two releases - Udta Punjab and R Balki's next with Arjun Kapoor.

Tell us about that film.

This film is going to be something else. It is stunning. The concept, the story and the theme, people will love it. He (Balki) was narrating it to me, and during the interval itself, I said, "I am doing it." There are some parts where you just know that this is a part for me, and I can nail it. It's a conversation-based film. So, we have been doing a lot of readings, and just kind of brainstorming together, which is fun. I am excited about the journey, which will take me to an unexplored territory.

Are there directors whose calls you are still waiting for?

Of course I would love to work with Rajkumar Hirani again and again. He is probably the only director who fits in that list. But I am as proud to be a Rajkumar Hirani and Mani Ratnam heroine as I am proud to be a Rohit Shetty one. I like that I can be comfortable in both the worlds, that I can do a Fevicol and also be in Abhishek Chaubey's dark, edgy, drug drama (Udta Punjab), in which I play a doctor in Amritsar.

The last couple of years, you no longer seem to want to be a part of the rat race.

I can't be a part of it. I have been there and done that. I am not into public relations. My PR keeps telling me that we are not doing anything. So many actors need to have one story out in the papers every day. I am not even on social media. When I am in the papers, I wonder, 'Why am I in them? What is the reason?' My fans keep me alive on Instagram and Twitter, and I hear of fan clubs. I am happy with that.

Even today, I have met so many people who are saying that they are seeing me after so long. I don't keep giving interviews. I have always been a very secure actor. I shouldn't be competing with an Alia Bhatt, even though they are pitting us against each other. But I can't be. I have been around for 16 years. It is ridiculous. I am very unaffected with anybody who says anything about whatever is being heard or seen. I am still old-school that way. Both Saif and I are similar in the fact that we are very chilled out.