- Director Vijaya Bhaskar found directing Katrina Kaif in Malliswari challenging due to her inexperience
- Katrina Kaif was new to Telugu cinema and lacked familiarity with typical Telugu body language and expressions
- Several beauty pageant winners and Sonali Bendre were considered for Malliswari before finalising Katrina
More than two decades after Malliswari hit the big screens, director K Vijaya Bhaskar opened up about the challenges of casting and directing Katrina Kaif in her Telugu debut.
Released in 2004, the Venkatesh-starrer introduced Katrina to Telugu cinema and helped put her on the radar of South Indian audiences. However, according to the director, bringing her on board and shaping her performance was far from easy.
Katrina Kaif's Early Days In Telugu Cinema
Looking back on his experience, Vijaya Bhaskar admitted that directing Katrina was challenging because she was completely new to the industry.
"It was very difficult but what I say is, she's a very hardworking person," he said in an old interview with iDream Media.
The director explained that Katrina was still finding her footing as an actor at the time.
"She doesn't even have any body language. Sometimes when she sits, I have to ask her to sit properly. It is because they grew up in a completely different environment. There's no idea about how a Telugu girl is supposed to be. She should just be a princess, royal and all, but also very respectful and loving," he said.
How Katrina Landed Malliswari
Interestingly, Katrina almost did not star in Malliswari at all.
The filmmaker revealed that he had first noticed her in an advertisement and was convinced she was perfect for the part. However, signing her proved to be a complicated process.
"Actually, it was my choice to cast Katrina, so it got really tough for the producer," Vijaya Bhaskar recalled.
"I saw Katrina Kaif in an ad, she was really good. We called her, told her the story, and she said okay. So, we went to Mumbai. Everything was set, however there was some form of disagreement later in the day."
According to him, even an advance payment could not convince her at the time.
"Even when the production team offered an advance, she refused to take it."
The setback forced the makers to widen their search. Vijaya Bhaskar revealed that several beauty pageant winners were invited for auditions and photo shoots before a final decision was made.
"All the so-called beauty queens were called right here by Suresh Daggubati, literally all of them," he said.
One of the names strongly considered for the role was Sonali Bendre, who was already a popular face in Telugu cinema.
"I really like Sonali Bendre. She's a very professional girl and a really good actor. But I knew she was not Malliswari, because we've already looked into that. I've already done it myself in Manmadhudu," he said.
The director explained that while Sonali was the preferred choice for many, he wanted a newcomer who would bring a sense of novelty to the character.
"Sonali Bendre was everyone's choice for the role of Malliswari because she was considered the most beautiful and disciplined actress of that era. However, I wanted to cast someone who was a fresh face to Telugu audiences so they would truly feel like they were watching a princess."
In the end, Vijaya Bhaskar stuck to his instincts. The decision gave Katrina Kaif her Telugu debut and introduced audiences to a new face who would later go on to become one of Indian cinema's biggest stars.
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