Not for nothing is Katrina Kaif known as Bollywood’s safest bet; its blockbuster queen has starred in mega hits alongside Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. But just when she was on top of her game – and had given big hits in Tiger Zinda Hai and Jagga Jasoos, she began to get her feet wet as an entrepreneur.
Now, every other actor has investments in some business or the other. But for Katrina Kaif, launching her own beauty line, Kay Beauty, five years ago came from a long-held dream. “It comes from a very genuine space,” she tells me. We are at a Bandra restaurant as she sips on her coffee (black, obviously), celebrating five years of Kay. “People often ask me why I launched my own business, and one thing I say is that it came from my heart. Authenticity connects you to your audience, or what people in business say, to your consumer. Your audience can sense something that’s not great, and they can sense something that comes from a real space. Makeup has been my passion, the confidence it gives you is so personal and transformative.”
Kaif has found an excellent partner in Falguni Nayar of Nykaa, and Falguni’s daughter Adwaita. Kay Beauty is a brand owned by Nykaa and Kaif. It has been profitable from its first year thanks to its easy prices and has won over the most hard-nosed beauty critics courtesy great quality.
The actor has been fully hands-on; she’s involved with campaigns, packaging, social media, press releases et al. “I work closely with Falguni and Adwaita and have their full respect,” she smiles. “I’ve learned so much from them and their team, I’m really not a numbers person but now I have a better understanding of how we create something. They’ve empowered me so much. We can do anything, the sky's the limit.”
Katrina Kaif has been an actor for well over two decades and an entrepreneur for five years. How are the two passions different? “The process of being an actor is so much about letting go of yourself. It’s about blending into another character. As an entrepreneur, it is so different. I get to get involved with technical aspects and innovation. I’m really opinionated but being in business has taught me to listen.”
The actor became a businesswoman while she was at the top of the Bollywood ladder. The beauty business is not a second coming for Katrina Kaif, it’s almost like a parallel career.
"In the beginning, it was definitely challenging,” she says. “Even now my husband asks me to put down the phone and I want to send just one more email. When you’re on a movie set, you have a schedule. You are gone from 9 am to 9 pm; he knows where I am and I know where he is. But when you are a business owner there's no schedule. You have to set down rules. Otherwise, you can go on sending emails. But I’ve learned the importance of setting guidelines.”
Kaif says she knew she wanted to be in the makeup business all along. “I know I wanted to say to women and to men about how we look, about ideas of beauty, and physical appearance and self-acceptance. Makeup was my way of communicating. It has been an important journey of my confidence and self-image. I’m learning what I need to learn through my journey as an entrepreneur.”
When someone with the impossible beauty of Kaif talks about issues with her self-image, she normalises self-doubt for her countless fans too. “I completely struggle with self-acceptance. Things are not what they seem on the surface, that has been one of the savings, or learnings of my life. When you are struggling with something it seems like you are drowning and everyone else is thriving. But that’s not the way it is. Things are not what they seem, you have to pick yourself up and you have to keep fighting. Life is going to give you moments of ups and downs but you have to find your way,” she confesses.
In her personal life, Kaif says she doesn’t wear makeup unless she’s going out. “But even then I want to feel like my skin is breathing. I don’t want to feel anything weighty. Like our creme blush, or the eye crayon pencil, maybe some concealer and our lip tint with honey. Just something natural looking. I’m equally passionate about skincare, because I have very sensitive skin. I enjoy fun routines, like the gua sha. I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve just started using it and it’s amazing. My mother-in-law also makes me this hair oil with onion, amla, avocado and two-three other ingredients. Home remedies are incredibly powerful too.”
She says her husband, actor Vicky Kaushal, and she never fight for counter space in the bathroom. “He’s very adjusting and understanding,” she laughs.
With Kay Beauty’s incredible success, are films on the back foot now? “Definitely not,” she asserts. “I’m an actor and that’s a part of my being. Being on a film set, creating cinema, is magical. It will always be there with me.”
