Zareen Khan, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Salman Khan in Veer (2010), has often made headlines for her resemblance to Katrina during her early years in the industry. She recently took a trip down memory lane and shared a nostalgic video of her younger self getting an autograph from Katrina Kaif at the premiere of Race (2008). Posting the clip on Instagram, Zareen wrote, “Oh my Goddd! Came across this video and the memory is still so fresh. I clearly remember this moment… it’s from the premiere of the movie RACE. Thanks to a friend who got us passes, we were able to experience the magic firsthand. At that point, I was just a wide-eyed fan, never imagining I’d one day be a part of the film industry.”She added, “But look at how happy I am in this video, a total fangirl… grinning from ear to ear, getting an autograph from the woman I thought was and is breathtakingly beautiful!”Zareen says being compared to Katrina Kaif eventually hurt her careerSpeaking on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s podcast, Zareen had reflected on how her similarity to Katrina Kaif, once seen as a compliment, eventually became a stumbling block in her career.“Life after Veer was very bad for me, I got a lot of criticism. The film was a life-changing moment for me. Initially, I felt very happy that I was being compared to Katrina Kaif, but within the industry, things kept getting worse. For me, who used to be overweight, being compared to Katrina was huge, but it all backfired.”
She further shared that she felt like an outsider in Bollywood and was often misunderstood.“I felt like a lost child in the industry, plus there was hesitation. I didn’t know most people here, but they started to feel I was arrogant because Salman Khan launched me.”After her debut in Veer, Zareen went on to star in films like Housefull 2, Hate Story 3, Aksar 2, and the horror thriller 1921. She also featured in Character Dheela song in Salman Khan’s 2011 film Ready. Outside of Bollywood, she found success in Punjabi films such as Jatt James Bond and Daaka.
