‘Don’t test Katrina Kaif’: Prakash Jha

No message; only entertainment:

I am not trying to say something through the film because I am hardly anyone to comment on politics. I have made a  big, dramatic film which has everything to entertain and engage the audience.

Raajneeti is about politics we play daily in our lives and it deals with deals, loyalty and betrayal. Any change brought about by this movie is completely unintentional.

On the star cast:

I am very pleased to say that the film has turned out as I wanted it to. It’s been a tremendous experience working with my cast (Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor,  Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Nana Patekar and Naseeruddin Shah) as they have been very dedicated to their characters.

The best thing is that the actors were all so hungry for their parts that they came prepared on the sets. We started working on their characters six months before the shooting, rehearsing and working to understand each character and the story beyond the frame.

Katrina’s Hindi conundrum:

Everybody knows Katrina Kaif faces difficulty in speaking Hindi, as it is not her mother tongue. But she has worked really hard in this film to understand the culture and language (of India). I don’t understand why the media wants to test her?

On Sonia Gandhi:

Sonia Gandhi’s story is inspirational, and she has made a lot of sacrifices in her life. I will have to make another film to do justice to her persona. But frankly, there is no similarity between her life and Katrina’s character in Raajneeti.

On his politics:

I entered politics because I wanted to be in a place where I could utilize resources more efficiently for the people of my constituency. But I have not joined any political party or organisation. I am done with active politics.