SRK’s manly avatar in HNY
The ensemble cast of Happy New Year was in the capital recently. Besides talking about their film, SRK revealed he enjoys being a man in all of Farah’s movies
Farah is the only director who brings out my manly side, shared Shah Rukh Khan
Farah is the only director who brings out my manly side
SHAH RUKH KHAN
“Shah Rukh hurt his knee last night and is currently undergoing physiotherapy. He will be late. Till then we will entertain you people,” said Abhishek Bachchan before the press conference of Happy New Year even started. The movie, which is expected to break this year’s existing box office records, is set to release nationwide across 4,000- 4,500 screens on October 24 ( Diwali) and is directed by Farah Khan. As Farah is known for her multistarrer flicks, HNY includes actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah.
Deepika, who is playing the character of an enthusiastic dancer called Mohini Joshi in the film, shared that she didn’t have to work too hard on speak- ing in a Marathi accent. Looking stunning in a black T- shirt and jeans, she informed, “I have been fortunate to live in Mumbai for the last seven years. That gave me an opportunity to interact with a lot of Maharastrian people. Also my mother tongue is Konkani, which is very similar to Marathi. So it wasn’t that difficult to speak in that accent.”
Upon asking if her character was similar or better than Madhuri’s portrayal of Mohini, Deepika asserted, “Absolutely not. Madhuri Dixit’s portrayal of Mohini in Tezaab is iconic. Both the characters are different and unique. They just share the same name. I have grown up watching Madhuri and Mohini was one of her iconic portrayals, so I feel it’s unfair to compare the two.”
Abhishek, who was playing with the mike throughout the press conference, will be seen in a tapori avatar in the movie. He shared, “I play a character called Nandu Bhide from Sangam Chawl in Mumbai. He enjoys his drink a bit too much and that makes him very entertaining and funny. He is completely opposite of what I am in real life. Farah and I have literally created him from scratch.”
But how was it playing the character of a thief this time as contrary to playing the role of a cop in all his Dhoom series? “The experience has been very gratifying, fruitful and enriching. It was really fun. I hope that when audiences see the film, I’ll be able to convince them that I am not only capable of playing a cop but I can play a character from the other side of law as well.”
When quizzed about his reasons for opting for ensemble cast films time and again, Abhishek said, “I like being in an ensemble cast film. I have been asked this question a lot of time, that is ‘ why don’t you do a solo hero movie?’ and I feel that the audiences will get bored to see only me throughout a three hour movie whereas in a multi- starrer movie they get to enjoy everyone’s character.”
Talking about the comeback of SRK and Farah after seven years, Deepika quipped, “Yes, I am excited about the fact that this is the coming together of Shah Rukh, Farah and me after Om Shanti Om. We will have to see what the audiences have to say about our comeback. I hope I’ll be able to make Farah proud as a mother.”
Soon after King Khan arrived and took the centrestage. He informed, “I hurt my knee yesterday. It is a minor sprain and I will be alright soon.” Shah Rukh later added that HNY is an extremely happy family- oriented film. He also funnily stated that Farah is the only director in the industry who exploits his macho side. “So far all the male directors I have worked with have always presented the more feminine side of me. They have brought out the romantic Shah Rukh you all know. But Farah is only director who brings out the manly side of me which is very sweet. I enjoy being a man with Farah,” he said.