Intimate secrets spilled as Ranbir, Kalki, Aditya go wild in Dubai

As a journalist, Bollywood celebrity events can sometimes border on the ennui with even the stars themselves sometimes failing to conceal a wayward yawn amidst the blitzkrieg of mundane film promotional events.

And then you have a press event such as ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’, which restores your faith in the profession and the magic of movies that gathered a film of tarnish somewhere between the Amitabh Bachchan angry young man era and the rise of king Shah Rukh Khan.

If the slick promos of the Dharma Productions romcom are any indication, the camaraderie between the quartet of Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur is just as visible off screen, even with one of foursome missing in action.

Yet even with Padukone filming for ‘Chennai Express’, the trio ensured Dubai did not miss her presence while regaling one and all with stories of the “crazy shoot” that comprised the making of ‘Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’ according to Kapoor.

Quiz them about the craziest adventure in the making of this roadtrip film, and Kapoor immediately talked about their shoot in Manali, India.

“At one point we were treading through snowdrifts up to our waist, trekking for two hours daily to reach the mountaintop for a scene where we would probably resemble ants on screen,” laughed Kapoor.

“No not ants,” quipped in the other Kapur, adding: “We were more like donkeys; beasts of labour. Especially in this one scene where I am carrying Kalki on my shoulders and on the walkie talkie Ayan [Mukherji, film director] was yelling away that I need to express my deep emotions but all that you see on screen are tiny dots.”

Koechlin jumped in to say: “Each on during the film had their own dramas. Deepika was Mother Earth, always centred, caring for everyone, passing on healthy sandwiches if anyone was hungry.

“Aditya was the caveman. The only thing he yelled was: food, water, sleep.

“As for Ranbir, he’s Bambi from the Disney cartoon, from the scene when the deer goes flaying about on the ice. That’s Ranbir, calm and composed on the outside and a mess on the inside.”

Ask the others to comment on Koechlin and Kapoor jumped into say: “All she did was jump into ponds and lakes. One minute you are talking to her and the next, she would strip down and simply jump into the lake and be treading water.”

Needless to say, with such off-screen chemistry, the on-screen camaraderie of this film about four friends who set off on a roadtrip that teaches them life’s important lessons is being looked as one of the biggest summer blockbusters of 2013.

The makers have also roped in yesteryear queen Madhuri Dixit to show off her dancing prowess in an item song, where she dances alongside Kapoor in ‘Ghagra’.

The younger actor couldn’t stop gushing about his experience, saying: “She is my crush even today; but I went wild when I first saw her as a young kid on screen in the song ‘Dhak Dhak’. But not just being a fabulous dancer, she is also a great mother with her children coming to the sets and it was an experience that I will always cherish.

“And yes, I did force Ayan to include a scene where I kiss Madhuri. But it is only on the cheek.”

The film releases across UAE cinemas on May 30.

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