Revealed: Bollywood stars in Dubai for Diwali

In a city that has a Bollywood celebs jetting in practically every week, the reported sightings alone are mind boggling, especially since some of those famous faces are slightly preoccupied pushing daisies these days.

So it isn’t surprising that the upcoming Indian festival of Diwali would spark yet another spree of celebrities to sunny Dubai, or their phantom visits that is.

In the next two weeks, Bollywood will see the clash of two big Diwali releases, one being the late director Yash Chopra’s swansong “Jab Tak Hai Jaan”, the other being Ajay Devgn’s “Son of Sardar.”

The cast of both November 13 releases were pencilled in for a Dubai visit, as stories circulated, but only one of them is the real deal.

In a statement to Emirates 24|7, Nelson D’Souza, head of Yash Raj Films in Middle East said: “Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, none of them are coming to Dubai for any grand premiere or corresponding show.”

In fact, the trio will be attending a star-studded premiere in Mumbai, which will pay tribute to Chopra, who passed away earlier this month to complications resulting from dengue.

Meanwhile, Syed Shuja of Dream Advertising and Ministry of Events has confirmed that stars of “Son of Sardar” are indeed scheduled for a pit stop and a promotional tour in the city, with both Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha pencilled in to make appearances.

Shuja said: “We are still finalising a date, which is tentative for November 4; but the cast is expected to make a mall visit and will be hosting a dinner at It’s Indie restaurant, for which fans can also buy F&B packages to attend, and even pay a premium that guarantees a meet and greet with the stars.”

Shuja, whose company has organised the majority of the Bollywood star-studded events in Dubai in the recent past, added: “Post the festive period though, the local celebrity events will peter out as no massive blockbusters remain on the list but a select few.”

He added that while fans may hope, stars Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherji and Kareena Kapoor Khan are not scheduled to fly by Dubai to promote their film “Talaash”.

“Meanwhile, Preity Zinta was scheduled to visit to promote “Ishkq in Paris”, but with the film’s delayed release, a date is yet to be set,” he revealed.

Salman Khan, of course, is already scheduled for a star-studded performance on the UAE National Day weekend on December 2, with Priyanka Chopra set to groove with him on stage.

But Shuja adds that it’s highly unlikely the actor would return for “Dabangg 2” releasing over Christmas.

However, rumour mills are churning that Akshay Kumar will jet down in December for “Khiladi 786”, possibly releasing at the Dubai International Film Festival.

“We have also teamed up with the producers of “Race 2”,” added Shuja, “for a December promotional tour for the thriller, which is releasing January 26, 2013.

“If that works out, then December can see 7-8 big Bollywood stars as an early New Year’s gift to Dubai.”

For those wondering already, “Race 2” stars Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel. Phew!

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