Kriti Sanon walks Blender's Pride Fashion Tour ramp

Backstage, as her team bustles around her, actress Kriti Sanon is her calm self. After all, it’s not her first time on the catwalk, but it was a special first as she strutted down the Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour ramp in Bengaluru as a showstopper for designer Masaba Gupta.

“I’m always in Bengaluru on work and I always want to stay longer and catch up with extended family. I’ve seriously considered disguising myself and getting out and about the city as that’s where the heart is!” says Kriti.

For the promising actress who has starred in Telugu films like Nenokkadine opposite Mahesh Babu and Dohchay and in Bollywood, in Dilwale and Heropanti, she’s yet to foray into Sandalwood. “I haven’t had a script that excited me. I come from a non-filmy background, so I tend to look at the story as the audience. The character should surprise me,” she states, adding, “I was a model before films and have walked for Masaba. It’s extremely special to be back as her showstopper,” says Kriti, resplendent in a black lehenga with the designer’s trademark prints – what she calls quirky, young and feminine.

For the 26-year-old who has a bachelor’s degree in technology, style is personal, and like any other girl, is always mood-based. “I’m all ripped denims, tank top and sneakers on some days. I can get finicky and rigid sometimes, as I need to feel confident in what I wear, otherwise it shows,” she says. Her velvet outfit at Manish Malhotra’s birthday party got quite a few mixed reviews, but Kriti sticks to her choice.

“I love experimenting. The theme was ‘Gold and Glamorous’ and everyone immediately thinks sequins. So, we turned to velvet, matched it with suede knee length boots. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure, but I think it turned out well,” she tells us.

Being the talk of the town, Kriti seems to be in the constant eye of dating rumours and obviously, it gets tiring as the object of scrutiny. “Actors are also normal people. I know fans love and respect us and it can get overwhelming, but we like to keep our personal lives out of it,” she says.

The year 2016 has been a pretty good year for her otherwise. “I picked up new skills – I could barely swim, but I learnt for my underwater sequences in Rabta. I also learnt to handle scuba diving equipment, weapon training and horse riding,” she smiles. As she looks forward to a new year – her two releases Rabta starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Bareilly Ki Barfi with Ayushmann Khurrana, she hopes she can unlock another new skill. “I’ve been trying to get into the habit of reading. Hope, this is the year for it,” she concludes.