Yash Raj Films in association with Asiana Magazine, B4U & Etihad Airways invited BollySpice to a special press conference in London with the stars and director of YRF’s newest offering: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. The event was held at the prestigious British Film Institute at the Southbank, London. It was special because after Chak De India’s London Premiere at Sommerset House in 2007, it was the first time that YRF was holding an event for press and fans in the UK.
Bollywood superstars Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif and Ali Zafar descended into London on the 8th September 2011 on a whirlwind one day promotion trip. The actors and first time director enjoyed a thorough “In Conversation” about the film with host Ameet Channa. Ali Zafar was referred to as the Prince of Pop, Imran Khan as the chocolate boy while Katrina Kaif was called ravishing and talented. The stars and director flew in from Abu Dhabi after attending the world premiere of Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Talking about the event Ali Abbas Zaffar said: “It went really well. There were a lot of people and everyone enjoyed the film.”
Imran Khan spoke about what his latest film is about: “My brother sends me on this crazy mission to find the perfect bride. I do find a girl who seems to be a perfect bride. Long story short, we both (Katrina and Imran’s character) have feelings for another but we can’t just run off because it’s just not done.”
Katrina Kaif who has worked with Yash Raj Films before explained why she chose to be a part of this rom-com: “Ali Abbas Zaffar, the director is a friend of mine and we have known each other for the past few years. In the process of getting to know me and spending time in getting to know each other, he came up with this character which he said he has written for me. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing (laughs). When I read the script, the best word to describe her was wild. I think it was a chance to break away from stereotype roles. This was an opportunity for me to be the damsel causing distress as opposed to the damsel in distress (laughs).”
Pakistani actor Ali Zafar has made his venture into commercial cinema with this film and spoke on how it came about; “The casting director for Yash Raj Films was also the casting director for Tere Bin Laden. Ali narrated the script to me on Skype and that’s how I got on board.”
Speaking about Ali Zafar, the actor being in Pakistan and the crew in India the director, Ali Abbas Zaffar told the press that it was not difficult for him at all to work out logistics. “Once Ali Zafar came on board, everything fell in place. He is a rockstar and the first thing that he said was ‘I have to sing my own song’, and we have a great song sung by him”, the director said. Ali Abbas Zaffar also revealed that when he wrote the script and showed it to Aditya Chopra, the producer, he told him that the characters are new and edgy yet it is still a typical Yash Raj Film. It only took the first time director a month and a half to finalise the actors and script and then he started shooting his first film, after having assisted on various Yash Raj Films before.
Imran, who plays an assistant director, was asked about any similarities between his character and the director. “The majority of films that I have done have actually been directed by first time directors. They tend to put a lot of themselves into their characters. The story may not be necessarily autobiographical. But they will put themselves, their friends and family members into their characters. This guy Kush, played by me is heavily inspired by Ali Abbas Zaffar. Both are from Dehradun, moved to Mumbai and become AD’s. The way my director dresses and his sense of humor will be seen in my character throughout the film,” the 28-year-old actor said.
Katrina Kaif joked when she was asked about the sixteen retakes of the scene where she slaps Imran Khan in the film. The Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara actress said: “I was going through a rough time in my life and needed it to take out on someone. I was on the film set with him and I couldn’t go around slapping the director, as that would not have gone down well. I just needed to take out my frustration (laughs). Actually, it was an important scene in the film and genuinely, all jokes aside (laughs) it was not happening right, so we had to do sixteen takes.”
Imran who has is known for is witty humor told the press about working in comedy films: “There is something about comedy. It’s hard to do comedy. Anyone who writes, directs, or acts in comedy they will agree that comedy is hard. When I watch something that is really funny, I appreciate that and find that very inspiring. Comedy pushes you to work harder. I love doing comedy and you should not expect anything close to Delhi Belly while watching this film.”
Speaking about working with each other, Ali Zafar said: “We worked as friends and if I could speak for myself, I could not have asked for better co-stars. They were helpful, fun, supportive, entertaining and they also guided me in various ways. I am thankful to them from the bottom of my heart and to Ali Abbas Zafar for giving me the opportunity to work with him.”
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is out on general release now.
Photo Credit: Eleanor Halsall
