Divya Delhi: After her debut feature Veer, Zareen Khan struggled to break out of her industry-imposed image as a ‘Katrina Kaif lookalike’ but had more opportunities after Hate Story 3. The Aksar 2 director lied to her about being typecast as sexy. She said director Anant Mahadevan told her he didn't want to do another Hate Story, but on set it was different. Though kept in the dark, she stated she was forced to perform intimate scenes and had little say. She told Hindi Rush that Hate Story 3 was nice and that her co-stars cared about her. She considered the role a challenge and consulted her mother. “I needed the job, and directors and producers weren't waiting to work with me. Several people advised me not to overthink. I got excellent response from my mother. Zareen stated she found the confidence to do the film. She added her grandparents are ‘namazis’ despite her ‘open’ family.