MUMBAI: Kriti Sanon with ‘Heropanti’, a successful debut film on her CV is on the cusp of showbiz fame — that point wherein a newcomer begins to gain recognition within and outside the industry. She is yet to get mobbed, but people are beginning to stop her with requests for photographs, which is always a good sign.

“Sometimes when I am in a mall or at the airport, people come to me for photos. Occasionally you do want to be alone, but it’s not possible now. Fans and their admiration is what we work for,” she says sagely.

The industry, of course, has sat up and taken note of Sanon despite the fact that a lion’s share of media’s attention was devoted toward her co-star Tiger Shroff, because of his Bollywood pedigree (he’s actor Jackie Shroff’s son). Producer Sajid Nadiadwala, for one, is confident that she is here to stay.

On her part she has fond memories of her co-star, a newbie himself. “Tiger is very well brought up. He is very disciplined and you can’t help but admire the way he lives his life. He is very focussed — to have that sort of will-power at this age is difficult. Sometimes, even if we had a shoot at seven in the morning, he would get up and go for a jog at four am!“

“People do want to see a pretty face but you also need to have a personality. If you are robotic and you can’t really perform, then you won’t last beyond two to three films, as times have changed now. Today girls have substantial roles and you can’t pull that off unless you can perform well of course. I still need to learn and prove myself. You need at least five films to prove that you are exceptionally talented,” opines the actress.