Katrina Kaif’s first on-screen kiss came with Hrithik Roshan in Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, but the moment was never intended to be included simply for its romantic appeal. Looking back at the scene, Zoya has explained why it was important to the story and how Katrina agreed to do it despite having never performed an on-screen kiss before.The scene comes when Hrithik’s Arjun is about to leave. Laila, played by Katrina, suddenly realises what she feels for him and rides after him on her bike before sharing an impulsive kiss.
Zoya Akhtar explained why Katrina Kaif agreed
Speaking about the sequence, Zoya recalled her first conversation with Katrina about the scene. During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, she shared, “When I met Katrina, she had never done a kiss before. She read it, and she said, ‘I understand you need it for the screenplay,’” the filmmaker said.The actress had therefore agreed because the moment served a clear narrative purpose. Contemporary reports around the film also noted that Katrina had initially been hesitant about the scene before agreeing after discussions with Zoya.
The kiss was meant to reveal Laila’s impulsive side
For Zoya, the significance of the moment went beyond showing romance between Laila and Arjun. She wanted the audience to see a side of Laila that had not been fully explored until then.“Laila lives in the moment and does her thing. But till then, we had never seen her doing anything in the moment. So, we needed this. Beyond saying goodbye, we needed her to do something completely impulsive that kind of cemented her character and who she is,” Zoya explained.The director viewed the kiss as a turning point because Laila takes control of the moment instead of simply allowing Arjun to walk away.
Zoya compared Laila and Arjun to a fairy tale
Zoya used an unusual fairy-tale comparison to describe what the scene meant for the two characters. “He is the sleeping beauty, and she is the prince. She needed to kiss him to wake him up,” she said.The metaphor underlines the role Laila plays in Arjun’s emotional journey. While he remains guarded and consumed by his work, Laila encourages him to confront the parts of life he has been avoiding.The kiss therefore becomes an extension of Laila’s personality and her ability to act spontaneously rather than a conventional romantic set piece.
Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif’s chemistry was not used for a typical duet
Interestingly, Zoya was equally determined not to manufacture a conventional romantic song around Hrithik and Katrina. Despite both actors being celebrated dancers, the director resisted pressure to give them a separate romantic duet. “Everybody, including their management, was like, ‘They have to… You have Katrina and Hrithik for the first time; how can they not be dancing?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know where. I don’t know how to fit that in,’” she recalled.Zoya said suggestions were made to place Hrithik’s character in a beach fantasy or bring Katrina into ‘Senorita’, but neither fitted the screenplay.
The scene became part of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’s emotional journey
Released in 2011, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ followed Arjun, Kabir and Imran as they travelled through Spain, with each friend confronting fears and personal issues along the way.Hrithik and Katrina’s romantic track remained one part of a larger story about friendship, self-discovery and learning to live in the present. The kiss between Laila and Arjun consequently worked as a character moment, allowing Laila to act on her feelings while pushing Arjun towards an emotional awakening.Katrina later acknowledged that the film contained a fleeting kiss with Hrithik and said it was something that had to be done for the story, while maintaining her general reluctance towards on-screen kissing.