Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

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Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara on Buzzinebollywood.com

FILM INTERVIEW: CAST OF 'ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA'

Is Hrithik Roshan & Katrina Kaif's New Drama India’s Answer to ‘The Hangover’?

By: Simran Mody
July 14, 2011

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara on buzzinebollywood.comHrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, and Farhan Akhtar chronicle three friends bonding together in ultimate bromance style in Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD), much like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna did in Dil Chahta Hai. Also starring Bollywood beauties Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin, ZNMD hits screens on July 15th, and the entire cast seems excited about the adventures waiting to be told to audiences both this weekend and next.

 
For some, ZNMD is to be taken lightly. Still, others find a weighty gravitas attached to the Eros International Media and Excel Entertainment production.
 
Mr. Deol appeared more concerned with his happy feet than how he portrayed his character in ZNMD. In doing a little song and dance during the film’s rendition of “Seniorita,” Mr. Deol said that the fact that he had to exercise his dance moves was hands-down the single most difficult aspect of his job on set.
 
Of course, if the name of the track is indication, Mr. Deol had to perform to salsa music -- not exactly the most common of Indian dance forms.
 
“I can sing, but I can’t dance. I am the worst dancer. And matching the steps with some best dancers -- Hrithik and Farhan -- is all the more difficult,” Mr. Deol said during a media event. “Dancing is like an on-the-camera thing. Singing is a behind-the-camera job. Shankar has encouraged me to sing, and he recorded my voice saying it's just the practice session.”
 
For Ms. Koechlin, who stars opposite Mr. Akhtar as his love interest, she said her biggest challenge was just laying low amongst an all-star cast. Naturally, it did not help that the one person headlining the cast was none other than Ms. Kaif.
 
Still, Ms. Koechlin, who is romantically involved with Anurag Kashyap, said she was more than happy to take a back seat to the rest of her co-stars.
 
“When the subject of the film talks about the male bonding of three friends, you definitely need some eye candy to attract an audience, and we give that requisite entertainment in the film,” the former Dev D, Shaitan, and That Girl In Yellow Boots star told the media.
 
Thankfully for Ms. Koechlin, she felt her role was so substantially different from her previous roles, she had to focus on delivering the meatiest performance possible, ergo taking away from her urges to yearn for top billing amongst an award-winning cast who all have a long track record of mass appeal.
 
“(ZNMD) is definitely different from the other film that we have done (Dev D), and I think Abhay doesn’t tend to stick to one thing, and neither do I,” Ms. Koechlin told the press. “I don’t want to be labeled or trapped; my job is to change and adapt to everything that comes. And it’s exciting that I am doing something different every time.”
 
The one thing that was not so exciting was the news reports and tabloid rumors stating that Ms. Koechlin and Ms. Kaif engaged in a series of cat fights while on set. Ms. Koechlin tried to dispel the rumors.
 
“People want to hear that I can’t stand Katrina and I hate her, so they are spreading rumors that there were some cat fights between us. But I am jealous of her for the fact that I missed the fun they had during the trip. I was actually busy with some other work, so I couldn’t join them there,” the actress told the media.
 
For Mr. Akhtar, whose wife directed the film, he is just focused on making sure the film is a substantive hit, whether or not folks will compare ZNMD to films such as Dil to Chahta Hai.
 
“I can almost feel those sky-rocketing expectations. Frankly, I knew people would end up comparing Zindagi to my Dil Chahta Hai,” Mr. Akhtar told a tabloid. “But I feel as if my life has come full circle. It’s almost like as if my life has taken me back by one decade. Just imagine: I am on the verge of capping off a decade with a film that will remind many people of the one that I made ten years ago. It’s a nice feeling, and I am not worried at all. Comparisons are natural.”
 
While ZNMD is a bromance, comparisons to Hollywood’s Hangover may be a bit off as well.
 
“It’s impossible to keep denying every rumor or comparison that comes up. I don't think deeply about it because I know, once they see the film, they will realize that Zindagi is not India’s version of Hangover. This is a great coming-of-age film where people can have a good laugh. It’s about making choices, friendships.”
 
Indeed, Mr. Akhtar and the rest of the ZNMD cast hopes Hindi film fans will be making the right choices this weekend and enjoying some great friendships while watching a debauchery-themed comedy.
 
'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' officially hits theaters worldwide on July 15, 2011.