Ali Zafar, Aditi Rao charm fans in Dubai premiere

It’s rare to see a starry Bollywood premiere that is hosted with the casualness and the eager to chat attitude that celebs Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hyadri portrayed at the media meet of the world premiere of their film, “London Paris New York”, which was held in Dubai on February 29.

Agreed, that Zafar has many miles to go before he climbs the steep ladder of success in Bollywood and Hydari’s innocence has yet to lose its sheen in the cutthroat world of showbiz (she is only three films old), yet, it is almost refreshing to hear celebrities actually answer questions that are posed to them, without wasting everyone’s time gushing about their co-stars, producers, director, designer... you get the drift.

Not that there wasn’t any serenading here, but thankfully, it was kept in check to allow the lead cast to share anecdotes of their film that few would ever learn.

Said Zafar, who has also composed the film’s soundtrack being a notable musician from Pakistan: “Do you know, I was never planning to compose the film’s music?

“I had already been signed on as the actor and then one day, called up Anu (Anupama Menon, director) asking, what’s going on with the music?”

With her noncommittal response, Zafar casually asked her what premise was she working on and decided to whip up a demo and email her.

“I didn’t hear back from her or the producers over the next three days and I kept thinking, surely it couldn’t have been that bad. They know I’m a musician also right?”

It was only a casual call later that Zafar was informed that all the filmmakers loved his song and had mailed him back saying the same and wanted him on board to compose the whole album.

The song in question was “Voh Dekhnay Mein”, which has already become a popular track over UAE radio airwaves.

Talking about the difference in creative process of composing a private album as opposed to a film soundtrack, Zafar said: “Yes, it is different considering a private album sees you draw a lot from your personal experiences.

“I once wrote a song about a girl who didn’t like me because there was this girl who didn’t. I was strange back then, so I wouldn’t like myself too now in retrospect.”

He laughingly added: “Movies are bit easier because you have a film premise that you need to adhere to.”

While Zafar has also lent the vocals to the soundtrack, lead star Hydari has also crooned not one, but two tracks.

“I’m a reluctant singer; I guess it’s genetic,” explained Hydari, adding: “Ali heard me humming at the producer’s house and they all made me sing. Next thing I know, I was out of my bathroom singing days and into a studio.”

Both Zafar and Hydari revealed that several of the songs were recorded while the former was in Pakistan and he would monitor the musicians over Skype to ensure everything was running smoothly.

Talking about their film, Hydari said: “Every song is situational in the film and it lends to the urban landscape of what “London Paris New York” is trying to portray. This is romance.”

The film sees a day in the life of the duo that meet in the three different cities over eight years and how they fall in love. The film releases across UAE cinemas on March 1.