Hansal Mehta says Kareena Kapoor ‘never came across as tantrummy star’

Director Hansal Mehta worked with Kareena Kapoor for the first time in ‘The Buckingham Murders’. The film, which is currently running in theatres, also marks Kareena’s debut as a producer. In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital, Mehta shared that his experience of collaborating with Kapoor was an ‘absolute dream’. He also praised her work ethic and called the performance one that had ‘very little vanity and a lot of internal pain’.
“I must put it on record that Kareena is an absolute dream to work with,” Hansal Mehta told us during the interview while talking about Kareena, adding, “I might be wounded by a past experience, but that did not have any bearing on Buckingham Murders. It was one of the most smooth and very beautiful shooting experiences I’ve had in my entire 3 decades of working.”
Hansal Mehta, in earlier interviews, had spoken about not having a good experience when he collaborated with another actor. He preferred to move on from the experience for his own sanity.
Kareena Kapoor is one of the biggest ‘stars’ that Mehta has worked with. However, “she never came across as a tantrummy star”, he pointed out. “She surrendered herself to the film, to the character. Her work ethic was astounding. She would always be there on set, giving cues to other actors when their sets were being shot. She had the work ethics of an actor. It’s very basic, but she did that. She was always there around for the scene, to make it better. It was never just about her. So it’s a performance that has a lot of internal pain and very little vanity,” Hansal Mehta added.
Critics have also pointed out how Kareena Kapoor delivered one of her career-best performances in the film. “After the film’s release, a very senior actor called me and said that she’s not acting for the camera. It’s something that stars usually do,” Hansal Mehta shared.
He also added, “Her eyes… I mean her eyes speak a million words. I had also put up a post on shots of her eyes.”
Mehta is also known for his repeated collaborations. In fact, he has collaborated with actors like Rajkummar Rao and Manoj Bajpayee multiple times. So, can we hope to see him team up with Kareena Kapoor again?
“Yes, and it should be a rom-com,” Mehta shared with a laugh.
The Buckingham Murders was released in theatres on September 13. It also features an exceptional ensemble cast, including Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, and Keith Allen, among others, apart from Kareena Kapoor Khan.