Kainaat Arora reveals why Sanjay Dutt once advised her not to enter Bollywood

Actress Kainaat Arora opened up about a piece of advice she received from Sanjay Dutt early in her career.

She revealed that the veteran actor once cautioned her against joining the film industry. In an exclusive interview with Media, Arora reflected on the guidance she has received from her co-stars over the years, revealing that both Ajith Kumar and Dutt once advised her against joining the film industry. Recalling her time working with Ajith Kumar in Mankatha, she shared, “Ajith told me, ‘Kainaat, you are too simple. You need to be fully prepared because the journey is not easy.’” Sanjay Dutt, too, had given her similar advice during the early phase of her career.

Kainaat admitted that even her parents were initially hesitant about her entering the film world. “But when they saw my work getting recognized, they became more supportive. They always encouraged me to take up performance-driven, message-oriented roles.”

The ‘Grand Masti’ actress also spoke warmly about working with Akshay Kumar, calling him “motivating, funny, and extremely supportive on set.” She said she learned a lot from co-stars like Vivek Oberoi, Ritesh Deshmukh, Mohanlal, and Gippy Grewal. “Even though I’m Punjabi, Gippy helped me with diction when we were shooting in the US. I’ve learned so much silently just by observing these amazing actors. Ritesh, for example, is incredibly spontaneous—his one-liners were often improvised, and I was just absorbing everything like a student.”

Speaking about her journey in the showbiz world, Kainaat Arora shared, “It has been a very fruitful journey—and it’s still going on. For every artist, it’s about the process. When I look back, I started from a small city in Uttar Pradesh, Saharanpur. It’s not easy to move from a small town to a big city and find your place. I came to Delhi to study and pursued a merchandising course from NIFT. One day, while crossing the road, I got a modeling offer. I never thought I’d be doing modeling while still studying. I lived in a PG hostel, and money was tight. My father was facing business issues, and we had loans.”

“I started working in four shifts, earned whatever I could, and sent it home to help pay off the loan. It gave me a sense of pride that I could support my parents. That, to me, is true success—doing something meaningful for your family.”

Kainaat made her Bollywood debut in the comedy film “Grand Masti” as Marlow. She also appeared in the Tamil film “Mankatha” and Akshay Kumar’s “Khatta Meetha.”