Vicky Kaushal defines who are the real stars from the Hindi film industry.
Vicky Kaushal explained in a recent interview why he doesn’t feel like a star and his meaning of ‘stardom’ in present times.
Vicky Kaushal is in the best phase of his career. With his recent film Zara Hatke Zara Bachke garnering immense success at the box office, the actor is eagerly looking forward to his next few releases. However, ahead of that, in a recent interview, the actor expressed that he doesn’t feel like a ‘star’ and that the label only belongs to prominent actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan. He also compared today’s stardom to ‘instant coffee’.
During a conversation with Spice Limelight, Vicky got candid about his definition of stardom and why he doesn’t consider himself a ‘star’. He explained, “The adulation he received from his fans was unbelievable. I wanted to meet him and despite my father being a film technician who has worked with Hrithik, I could only meet him once. The fact that I had to work hard to see him mattered.”
Emphasizing his point further, the Zara Hatke Zara Bachke actor quoted the names of some real stars, “The accessibility today is such that a person is a star only till he or she is in the news or trending on social media. A real star has to have longevity – like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik. Earlier in Bollywood, stardom came after decades of hard work and that fame was for life. Today, stardom is easily attainable-like instant coffee. You can even buy followers, fans, ticks and verifications. Today’s stardom is like fast food. I am grateful for the love I receive from my audience, but I do not feel like a star.”
Vicky Kaushal is currently one of the most bankable actors in Bollywood. Through his performance, he has created a niche for himself in a very less time. But this success has not let him forget his roots. In an interview with Film Companion, Vicky said that success has not changed anything in him as middle-class values have been drilled into him.
In the interview, he revealed how his mother sometimes teases him. Recalling a funny anecdote, the Zara Hatke Zara Bachke actor said, “I remember, in 2018 or 2019, one of the leading publications put me on a list of the ‘most desirable’ men. And I had come back from a trip where I’d had great fun with friends. We ate a lot, so I was a little (gestures to suggest that he was overweight). And I came back, I was lying down, shirt open, and my mom is like, ‘Ae dekh lo, yeh hai most desirable’. When you get trolled at home, you remain grounded. Internet can’t shake me.”
In the same interview, he even praised his wife Katrina Kaif. “Knowing her, not everything was going as per her, she has really hustled and worked hard and aced it. I don’t want to cross a line on her behalf but I truly feel that like there was Hema Malini’s era, Rekha’s era and I truly feel she has achieved that sort of milestone on her merit,” he added.
Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif tied the knot in 2021 in an intimate ceremony at Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.
On the work front, Vicky Kaushal’s Zara Hatke Zara Bachke with Sara Ali Khan received a positive response and managed to have success at the box office. He will be next seen in Sam Bahadur. It is directed by Meghna Gulzar and is expected to hit theatres in December of this year. The film is clashing with Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal which is releasing on the same date December 1.
