Katrina Kaif got ‘rid of her inhibitions’ while working with Balakrishna: ‘It was important’

Katrina Kaif worked with Nandamuri Balakrishna in the 2005 film Allari Pidugu.

Amid the ongoing controversy over Radhika Apte’s remark that she ‘hated everything’ about working on the Telugu film Legend (2014) with Nandamuri Balakrishna, a clip of Katrina Kaif talking about her time in Telugu cinema has resurfaced online. The clip has Katrina describing Balakrishna as ‘a lovely gentleman’ as she recalled shooting a song with him in New Zealand. It is to be noted that the clip is from a 2008 interview when Katrina was fairly new in the movies and was yet to become one of the established stars of Hindi cinema.

Katrina Kaif, who has appeared in only two Telugu films in her career, Malliswari (2004) opposite Venkatesh and Allari Pidugu (2005) opposite Balakrishna, told Farhan Akhtar during his 2008 show Oye It’s Friday, “In Telugu films, it was really a new experience for me and I think they liked me. I actually had a blast in my first two films.”

She then recalled shooting a dance sequence with Balakrishna in New Zealand for Allari Pidugu. “I remember very distinctly dying of embarrassment the first time I had to dance with a lovely gentleman called Balakrishna, who is a big star in Telugu cinema,” Katrina Kaif said. She said the experience taught her to shed her inhibitions as the tourists would just walk by and stare at the actors while they would be dancing at scenic location. She shared, “I think that was important to get rid of your inhibitions.”

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What did Radhika Apte say

Speaking to Zoom alongside her Akka co-star Keerthy Suresh, Radhika Apte was asked about the most challenging role she had played. “There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my mama (maternal uncle),” Radhika Apte said. “That was the most challenging role. Everything about it, I hated.” She did not name the film or the actor.

Keerthy Suresh’s reaction was initially one of surprise before she began laughing. She then explained the cultural context: “It’s a very Tamil, Telugu thing where you marry your uncle.” The practice of cross-cousin marriage has historical roots in South Indian culture but is viewed as outdated by many in younger and urban audiences.

Radhika Apte clarified that it was not just the uncle-niece dynamic that made the experience difficult. The age difference with her co-star and the broader atmosphere of the film compounded her discomfort. “I had to romance a much older actor,” she said. “It’s a very patriarchal situation and place. For me, that was the toughest thing.” The two actors have a 25 year age gap.

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Katrina Kaif’s Telugu career

Katrina Kaif appeared in two Telugu films. Her debut, Malliswari (2004), was a romantic comedy directed by K Vijaya Bhaskar opposite Venkatesh. Her second Telugu film, Allari Pidugu (2005), was an action film directed by Jayanth C Paranjee opposite Balakrishna in a dual role. The film also featured Charmy Kaur and had music by Mani Sharma. Some of its songs were shot in New Zealand, which is the location Katrina referenced in her interview with Farhan Akhtar.

After Allari Pidugu, Katrina Kaif did not return to Telugu cinema. Her career moved entirely to Bollywood, where she became one of the industry’s most successful actresses.