4.43 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Watch out for Anil Kapoor rollercoaster in Dubai: Ranveer Singh

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Priyanka Chopra promote their up[coming movie 'Dil Dhadakne Do' in Dubai. (Bindu Rai)

Published
By Bindu Rai

It is sometimes difficult to retain objectivity when the people around you break into a Bollywood song and dance as they see fit.

Yet, in between the press junket of 'Dil Dhadkne Do' [DDD], held in Dubai over the weekend, a few gems were unearthed, including one that could possibly pave the way for more Bollywood film shoots, investments and perhaps lend business ideas to a certain theme park that is scheduled to open in the emirate next year.

Priyanka Chopra, who landed in Dubai riding the wave of accolades post the trailer release of her upcoming US television show 'Quantico', talked about the growing potential of cinema in this region, saying: "Intercultural exchanges are always fascinating and the UAE and India share a strange bond that can’t be denied. Our values, cultures, cinema, all are similar. This paves the way for a future partnership."

Her film co-star Anil Kapoor, who has filmed several Bollywood projects in Dubai, including 'Welcome', 'Race' and the upcoming 'Welcome Back', along with his Hollywood blockbuster 'Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol', stated: "I have shot quite a few films here. This is the stage for world class cinema; the change in Dubai has been phenomenal in terms of infrastructure.

"The Bollywood theme park is the added testament to this growth."

Ranveer Singh, who plays Kapoor’s son in ‘DDD’, jumped in to add: "Watch out for the Anil Kapoor rollercoaster at the Bollywood theme park."

The young actor continued: "We receive such receptiveness for our films here as the Mideast is a huge market for our films, which helps our business grow and allows us to come here to promote our projects."

Dysfunctional families


Kapoor, who plays patriarch Kamal Mehra in 'DDD', stated the upcoming family comedy - which releases in UAE cinemas today - has a certain global connect because the dysfunctionality you see on screen is very real.

Chopra, who plays Kapoor’s daughter in ‘DDD’, spoke about her character Ayesha Mehra saying: "My character is a mess. She’s probably the biggest mess in the film. She has no idea what she’s doing. She keeps changing her mind – like probably every girl. And it’s our right to change our minds as often as we can."

Singh, who plays Chopra's brother on-screen for a change, stated: “There’s that last moment in the trailer that I think all of us can relate to, right? It happens in every family, that people don’t tell it like it is, talk directly, an underbelly of something always lurks in each and everyone’s family.

"It’s the beauty of Zoya’s [Akhtar writer-director] writing to tap into that kind of insight into families. So I can really relate to that scene when Kabir says ‘In this family every one talks superficially, but no one actually peels back the layers to speak the truth’."

The relatively quiet Anushka Sharma, who plays Singh's love interest in the film, admitted she found her family background very different from what is portrayed in 'DDD'.

She said:  "I don’t actually relate. My family’s very supportive. I think the problem is we talk too much and discuss too much. I think we need to cut it down and maybe take inspiration from this film."

Behind-the-scenes


After romancing Singh in 'Gunday', Chopra talked about sharing a brotherly bond with her co-star in ‘DDD’, saying: “I think that we are extremely fortunate that we've had an opportunity in three back-to-back films where we have played boyfriend-girlfriend, brother-sister and an intense love story as husband and wife [in 'Bajirao Mastani'].

"I think this is a testament to the filmmakers who've worked with us, who have put their faith in us, and trusted us to be able to pull off all the different characters.

"But if you ask me, honestly, I think Ranveer is really more like a brother to me. We even look alike, so we can very convincingly be brother and sister."

Interestingly, when Singh was quizzed whether he would ever be interested in playing brother to rumoured girlfriend Deepika Padukone on screen, the actor hummed, hawed and broke into a song, stating he was very good at evading such questions.

Kapoor promptly added: "With Ranveer around, you can imagine we had a lot of fun. We had a great time. It was really wonderful and I think this is one of the best journeys of my entire career. We had a lot of fun but we worked very hard."