I was a lost child: Zareen Khan says comparisons to Katrina Kaif ‘backfired’ for her career

Actor, in an AMA session, also revealed that it was ‘intimidating’ to work with Salman Khan

In a recent 'Ask Me Anything' chat session on Reddit, Bollywood actor Zareen Khan opened up on the challenges she faced in the industry, including nepotism and her comparison to Katrina Kaif. Zareen, who made her Bollywood debut alongside Salman Khan in the 2010 film Veer, revealed that the experience of working with him was "intimidating.”

During the Reddit AMA, a user asked Zareen for her honest review of working with Salman, to which she responded with a single word - "Intimidating." The actor's association with Salman extended to a special dance number Character Dheela in the movie Ready.

The conversation also touched upon Zareen's early days in the industry when she was repeatedly compared to Katrina due to their striking resemblance. While Zareen initially felt pleased with the comparison as she admired Katrina, she later realised that it had a negative impact on her career. "I was like a lost child when I entered this industry, and being compared to Katrina, whom I admired and found really pretty, made me happy. However, it backfired on my career as the industry didn't allow me to showcase my individuality," she explained.

Despite featuring in films like Housefull 2, Aksar 2, 1921, and regional films such as Punjabi film Jatt James Bond and Telugu film Chankya, Zareen struggled to create a lasting impression with her work.

The 1921 actor revealed that she was consistently disappointed by the prevalence of nepotism in the industry where friendships were given more importance than actual talent. “[My biggest qualm was] people working on the basis of friendship rather than talent,” she wrote.

When asked why she didn’t appear in more films, despite having many connections in Bollywood, Zareen clarified that she wasn’t as social as people believe. “No. You are mistaken. I don’t really have a lot of connections in the industry, and I also don’t really know how to do small talks,” she said. On the work front, Zareen was last seen in the 2021 film Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele, released on Hotstar.

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