Kriti Sanon @ 30: Her best romantic comedy performances
Kriti Sanon hasn’t even reached 10 films in her Bollywood filmography yet, but she has already managed to establish herself as the quintessential romantic comedy heroine. With her breezy on-screen demeanor paired with nuanced character portrayal she makes even flat characters more compelling.
On her 30th birthday on 27th July, we take a look at what makes Kriti Sanon a captivating performer.
‘Dilwale’ (2015)
Ishita (Sanon) and Veer (Varun Dhawan) fall in love, forcing their siblings Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Meera (Kajol) to reevaluate everything that went wrong in their own estranged romance. Although Sanon’s role in ‘Dilwale’ was a supporting one, it proved how well she fits into the romantic comedy universe. She definitely looked the part of the beautiful, young love interest paired with Dhawan, but she also made an impact as a part of the whole ensemble, which included legends like Khan and Kajol.
‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ (2017)
Sanon’s most appreciated character has to be Bitti Mishra from ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, a frustrated young woman trying to live life on her own terms. She unwittingly falls into a love triangle with Pritam Vidrohi (Rajkummar Rao) and Chirag Dubey (Ayushmann Khurrana) as she looks for the author of a book that describes a girl exactly like her. Coming off a commercial mega hit (‘Dilwale’), Sanon had already established that she can be endlessly charming, but with this film she proved that as an actress she understands her craft. Despite being the least experienced actor in the main cast, her performance is fresh, comfortable and true to herself.
‘Raabta’ (2017)
‘Raabta’ explores the idea of cosmic connections between people, love stories that last through reincarnations. While not a true romantic comedy, the first half of ‘Raabta’ has all the elements of the light romance that Sanon excels at. The film is also a great example of how well Sanon can anchor a story. Stuck between the extremes of Sushant Singh Rajput’s Shiv and Jim Sarbh’s Zakir, as well as the past and the present versions of her character, Sanon as Saira remains a solid thread amongst the chaos that is ‘Raabta’.
‘Luka Chuppi’ (2019)
A story about a couple trying to hide their live-in relationship from their conservative parents, ‘Luka Chuppi’ cements how well Sanon works as a part of the whole cast. She doesn’t act in a bubble and gives her fellow actors the space to deliver strong performances, which is especially important in comedy scenes. Starring opposite Kartik Aaryan, she manages to pick up some of his energy and infuse it into her role as well. But this doesn’t mean she fades into the background. Her portrayal of Rashmi is still genuine and memorable.
‘Arjun Patiala’ (2019)
In ‘Arjun Patiala’, Sanon dabbles more in the comedy side of the romcom. She plays a smart journalist in love with a goofy, well-meaning cop (Diljit Dosanjh) who are both working to eliminate crime from their small town. The audience sees a new side of her as the sarcastic and straightforward Ritu. The role requires her to juggle between drama and comedy quite often, sometimes in the same scene, but Sanon finds the right balance in her performance.
