Katrina Kaif shares why emotional independence matters in relationships

Katrina Kaif has reflected on lessons from her past relationships, saying no one else should be responsible for an individual’s happiness. The actor believes the strongest relationships are based on admiration, respect, companionship and emotional independence rather than dependence

Mumbai: Actress Katrina Kaif has opened up about the biggest lessons she has learnt from her relationships over the years, saying that no one else should be held responsible for one’s happiness.

During an interaction with host and filmmaker Karan Johar on the chat show Koffee with Karan Season 6, Katrina said she had realised that people should not depend on others for their happiness.

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She added that, in her view, the best relationships are built not on dependence but on admiration, respect and companionship.

The Tiger Zinda Hai actress said, “I had this discussion, not long back, with a few friends. They felt most women need men or it’s necessary to have a man. I really don’t think that’s true for everyone. I can’t speak for women as a collective, but it’s definitely not true for me being single. I’m becoming comfortable with who I am, which I don’t think I was for a large part of my life because you somehow judge yourself based on how much love or attention you get from your partner. When your relationship is amazing, you feel great about yourself. Your relationship suffers a little bit; your self-esteem and image take a beating, which is not a good thing.”

Sharing her idea of a healthy relationship, Katrina added, “My biggest learning from my relationships is, ‘Nobody else is responsible for your happiness.’ You shouldn’t give away your power because you are burdening that person with responsibility. Nobody can take that responsibility for a long period of time. At some point they are going to let you down, or you let them down, and that’s when the relationship suffers. The most beautiful kind of love is when neither of you need each other. There’s no great dependence on the other person, there’s admiration, respect, companionship, and there’s a space of ease between you.”

Katrina is married to actor Vicky Kaushal, and the couple have a son, Vihaan.