It’s hard to realize that Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar’s film Namastey London was released in theatres 15 years ago. Namastey London is unique for a number of reasons.
The Vipul Shah film not only brought notice to Katrina Kaif’s acting abilities, but it also launched the career of comedian and actor Vir Das. The film was well-received upon its premiere, and it included the late Rishi Kapoor among its actors.
Kaif had stated on Karan Johar’s chat programme Koffee with Karan that she was worried about the film’s response because she imagined herself dominating the majority of the screen time. Katrina was generally regarded a lovely face in Bollywood until this film’s premiere, and she was included in the cast to bring beauty and elegance. “I just saw too much of myself in the picture,” the actor explained. “You start believing what others say.”
Katrina was so certain of Namastey London’s failure that she wanted to flee the city before the end of the world arrived. Katrina had declared after seeing the video, “I’m packing my bags and going to find a new career.” But she was pleasantly pleased when the film became a critical and economic triumph. “That was incredibly lovely, and it meant a lot to me because I believe it changed people’s minds.” It was the first time I had so many calls from the business, from filmmakers saying things like, “I believe you did quite well in the movie.”
Namastey London, as previously said, was a watershed moment not just in Katrina’s career, but also in the career of beloved comic Vir Das. In an earlier interview with indianexpress.com, Das mentioned how enamored he was with Rishi Kapoor throughout the production. They had shared screen time in a memorable scene in the movie.
“Being able to work with Rishi Kapoor was a dream come true for me because I was a huge Rishi Kapoor fan. Karz has been watched about 100 times by me. Because I was one of three grooms, I didn’t expect it to make much of an impact, but it did, in a tiny way, jumpstart my film career. At the time, I had no plans to pursue a career in film or acting. “I was satisfied just being a cartoonist,” Vir said, “but it kind of led me into a different route.”
Das had offered Kapoor a touching tribute on social media following his passing, recalling their time together on the set of Namastey London: “First film. Namastey London hired me as a junior artist. I was ecstatic because I was going to have a sequence with Rishi Kapoor. When it was all said and done, he could tell I was a little discouraged. He took my hand in his and asked my name. ‘You need to keep acting, you understand?’ he replied. ‘Do not come to a halt.’ I felt both terrified and excited. For a junior artist, he didn’t have to do that. He was under no obligation to do so for anyone.
