Vishwaveer Singh

Karan Johar recently said this is the age of the actor, not the star. What better time could there be for Vicky Kaushal to inhabit the fickle industry that is Bollywood, one that evolves only so rarely. Versatile, the boy next door, a method actor, one of the finest of this generation—these are just a few of the sobriquets bestowed upon Kaushal in recent years. His marriage to the “woman of his dreams”, Katrina Kaif, last year also made something abundantly clear—Vicky gets what Vicky wants!

There’s a beautiful interview on YouTube, part of the TapeCast series, where Kaushal and Kaif sit together for a chat and answer some prerecorded questions. Shot in early 2019, it gives us a glimpse into the chemistry the two shared long before Cupid struck their hearts. In it, both Kaushal and Kaif blush and lock eyes, open up to one another about their fears and challenges, their films and careers. All in the span of 22 minutes, a viewer can grasp there’s something more between the two actors than what meets the eye.

The Kaushal-Kaif wedding in December 2021 became the stuff of legend in Bollywood. Here was a newcomer, marrying the most sought-after diva in the industry. Their courtship is still a mystery and Kaushal refuses to get into details, explaining instead, “My marriage has been the most beautiful thing to happen to me.”

And what about the lady who many had eyes for, but only he could get a ‘yes’ from? “Katrina is a great influence on me personally, professionally, in every aspect of my life. I become a better person every day because of her. I’m very fortunate to have found a life partner in her because she’s an extremely wise, intelligent and compassionate person. I learn a lot from her every single day.”

Such was the hullabaloo around the nuptials, held at a tony resort in Rajasthan, that the paparazzi went into overdrive trying to get access to the much-talked- about ceremony. For Kaif, the prying eyes of the press have been a bothersome phenomenon all through her life as a star, but Kaushal sees celebrity and its consequences in a different light.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with someone wanting to take a picture of you or chat with you,” he says. “When I was knocking on doors, taking trains to go to auditions and trying my best to get recognised, this is all I wanted. I prayed to God that I would be acknowledged, that people would appreciate and validate my work. Now that the universe is giving that to me, I have zero complaints.”

This is an excerpt from an interview that was originally published in Hello! India’s May 2022 issue. To read the full interview, get your hands on the latest issue right here!