Isabelle Kaif: I feel everything happens when it’s supposed to happen!

Katrina Kaif’s younger sister Isabelle Kaif is all set to make her big Bollywood debut with Stanley D’Costa’s dance film,…

Isabelle Kaif

Katrina Kaif’s younger sister Isabelle Kaif is all set to make her big Bollywood debut with Stanley D’Costa’s dance film, Time To Dance. Following her star sister’s footsteps, Isabelle sounds confident and has been training hard to prove her mettle as a performing artist.

Talking about her debut film, Isabelle says, “It’s a Latin ballroom dance film and I don’t have much experience in that dance form, so we have been training a lot. But I am thrilled to be doing something new. There are a lot of new things — it’s my first film and it involves many new dance forms. But I love acting and art in all its forms, so it’s great.”

“I was always interested in performing [arts]. I started dancing when I was very young and then I went to drama school and a performing arts school. So, I fell in love with acting, theatre and all the aspects of filmmaking. I even had my own theatre group in college. From a very young age, I knew I wanted to be a performer in some way or the other and then I guess Katrina made it seem more possible,” she adds.

Since Isabelle’s debut film is a dance-based one and would require her to learn various dance forms, she informs, “We are learning about 12-13 new dance forms that are very technical. But it’s exciting too as it’s a very sweet love story with dance as the backdrop. What attracted me first was the story and then I thought, ‘I could also learn all the new dance forms, so let’s do it’. Hopefully, our hard work pays off. I am also excited to see how the film is going to turn out.”

“Yes, I have been taking lessons for about two months. We started with two hours of practice but since last month, we have stepped it up a lot. The shoot starts either during the second half or towards the end of April. The exact dates are still being locked,” she adds.

Talking about Katrina, she says, “I remember doing my homework on the sets of Partner (2007) and prepping for my exams during weekends on the sets of Namastey London (2007). Katrina is a massive star but for me, it’s hard [to see her like that] as she is still the same person that she always was. It’s amazing to see her success and fame, but to me, she has always been my big sister.”

On the constant comparisons with Katrina, she says, “I feel we are in very different spaces and are distinct [as individuals]. So I think I am coming into a slightly different space than she is in. Obviously, you want to do well and want the film to perform well but that’s in God’s hands. I am just going to do my best, work the hardest and try not to think too much about that question. She has given me a lot of advice, but the best one has been to work extremely hard and also enjoy it at the same time. Luckily, most people in the arts world are extremely passionate about what they do.”

For Isabelle, things have come together quickly and unexpectedly. “I feel everything happens when it’s supposed to happen. I just kind of went with the flow. I became the face of a big cosmetic brand and my debut film also happened. Apart from that, one or two other things have also kind of fallen into place. I really do believe that things happen when they are supposed to, and not necessarily when you want them to. You just have to be ready to cease those opportunities and go for it.”

The gorgeous actress wishes to explore different genres as an actor. “I would love to do a bit of everything,” she says, adding, “That’s why I love acting so much because you can do everything — commercial love stories, dance films, character driven arthouse films as well as action. And I want to do it all. That’s one of the most exciting things about starting out — you still have it all to do. You can try your hand at every genre.”