Kriti Sanon is gaining appreciation for her role as Ally in Cocktail 2. In an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, the actress opened up about stepping into the much-loved franchise and shared insights into her character, the inspiration behind it, and comparisons with Deepika Padukone’s iconic Veronica from the original film.

Kriti Sanon reveals why Veronica was her favourite character from Cocktail; says, “There was a whole arc and many layers to her character”

When asked which character from the 2012 film Cocktail she would have liked to play, Kriti had no doubts about her choice. Picking Deepika Padukone’s Veronica over Diana Penty’s character, she said, “Veronica, definitely. Veronica had a lot of depth and damage. There was a whole arc and many layers to her character. It was a slightly edgier role for that time.”

Talking about her own character Ally, Kriti revealed that director Homi Adajania played a key role in helping her understand the personality she was portraying. She shared, “Homi Adajania. He’s obviously not completely Ally, but I could draw some kind of Ally from him because he has a cool personality. He has lived and travelled a lot. His mindset is extremely liberated and free. He’s non-judgmental and has all those characteristics that Ally also has.”

The actress admitted that embodying Ally’s effortless charm and free-spirited nature wasn’t easy. Reflecting on the process, Kriti recalled, “I remember telling him (Homi Adajania), ‘I don’t think I’m cool as a person.’ There’s no preparation that you can do for coolness. It’s a state of mind. There are some people who just walk into a room and they own it without trying. Ally is not someone who is trying to get attention. She’s just extremely unhinged. She’s someone who can just travel solo and make friends wherever she goes. She’s magnetic. Homi is also someone who has travelled a lot, who has had crazy incidents in his life and is just chill as a person. It took me a few days to get into her coolness and her chill persona.”

Kriti also addressed comparisons between Ally and Veronica, a discussion that has naturally emerged given the popularity of Deepika Padukone’s performance in the original film. However, the actress said she is not concerned about such comparisons and believes the two characters are distinct despite sharing certain traits.

Speaking about it, she said, “No, I’m not, actually. Do I expect it? Yes, I do. It’s kind of obvious, as I’m doing a film which is a franchise to the film that she’s done before. The characters, somewhere, have a similar energy of being slightly disruptive, unhinged and free-spirited. But Ally and Veronica are so different and I’m glad that they’re different. Why would I play the same character that Deepika has already done? That doesn’t make sense. That’s what’s fresh about Cocktail 2. It’s a completely different story with completely different conflicts and different characters. Ally has her own personality even though it may seem like it’s coinciding somewhere. She’s a completely different person than Veronica.”

With Cocktail 2 offering a fresh storyline and a new set of characters, Kriti believes Ally brings her own unique identity to the franchise while retaining the free-spirited energy that fans associate with the Cocktail universe.

Also Read : Cocktail 2 Box Office: Earns Rs 5.87 crores on Blockbuster Tuesday, will surpass Cocktail lifetime soon