Source: Gulf News
Date: November 14, 2010
Bollywood heavyweights Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan visited the Gulf News offices on Wednesday. We decided to turn the tables on them and get their thoughts on tabloid!
Ash as Editor
Mad about movies
On The penultimate Harry Potter film premiere in London:
“I have been the hugest fan. It’s perceived as a children’s movie, but it’s a family entertainer. And I think there’s a kid in all of us and I have thoroughly enjoyed the series so far. I am sure the forthcoming one will be even more exciting.” On Twilight: Eclipse getting eight People Choice Awards nominations: “Robert Pattinson is very hot [breaks into giggles]. But, frankly I have heard more about him from my niece and her friends. I can tell you, they all had a huge crush... I wonder if they have outgrown it, though. “It’s definitely a franchise that has again transcended age groups. It’s appealing not just for teenagers. Twilight is great fun.”
It's Hot
On Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol shoot in Dubai and his death-defying stunts:
“Mission: Impossible as a franchise has been very exciting for viewers. And, as an industry insider, I feel it’s wonderful that they have chosen this part of the region, because I have heard that Westerners are intrigued and fascinated by Dubai. “And it’s awesome that Tom Cruise has chosen the tallest building [the Burj Khalifa] to execute his stunts. “I remember, the closest stunt that I have done was scaling the highest waterfall-mountain in Kerala for Raavan. It was exciting, because the mountain was so slippery. Also, in Dhoom 2, I executed a 300-metre drop. “Even in Last Legion, with Colin Firth, I scaled a side of a castle. “So, I believe in doing all my action sequences myself.”
On US President Barack Obama’s maiden visit to India:
“Obama’s Indian visit was not just a dignitary affair. What made it interesting was that he interacted with the students and the Indian youth. Also, his choice of staying at the Taj [the Mumbai hotel that was targeted by terrorists in November 2008] was symbolic. “It was also wonderful to watch [his wife] Michelle and him interact with such ease with Indians. They complement each other beautifully.” On Golmaal 3 trumping her comedy Action Replayy at the box office: “I don’t keep track of box-office figures or earnings. Check my interview logs and you will find that I have always maintained that my job as an actor is done on the last day of the shoot. “I don’t believe a lot in numbers, because for Sarkar Raaj I remember reading reports that it hadn’t done too well. But recently a report was published that it was one of the biggest hits of that year. “So the question remains: are box-office earnings just perception versus actual numbers? Many films go on to recover their money, but it’s not reported.”
In style
“I don’t take fashion too seriously in my life. Frankly, there’s a team behind me who puts together my look.” On her worst fashion moment — her 2003 Cannes outing as a jury member: “I found it comical when the media — especially in India — began to criticise what I wore. I was in the modelling circuit for ten years before that and everybody was praising everything I wore. Then, suddenly they began to treat me as if I had just burst onto the scene. “Also, that year, I was just recovering from an accident and I was just thinking about helping Neeta [Lulla, Indian designer] to showcase her designs. “I didn’t look at that moment as a designer moment.”
On her best fashion moments — her post-2003 Cannes outings:
“From that year on, I thought if it’s such a big deal, then I will work towards it. And, I have always been appreciated, except for an odd ball. “Some people find it fashionable to find fault, which is ridiculous.”
Ash on a stress-free, normal day:
“It’s all about comfort for me. That’s the rule. I am equally comfortable in a salwar and in jeans. Even in a track suit — I love the comfort factor.” In tunes
On concerts:
“I love concerts, but I wish I could find the time to attend some. The last year has been work-dominated, but I hope to throw in a few concerts in future.”
On music:
“It’s my best friend. I am not really into heavy metal, but I like every other sound.”
On F1 gigs:
“If I had a choice, I would attend all of them — Prince, Kanye West and Linkin Park. The variety is good.”
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Hrithik as editor
In tune
On his playlist right now:
"I'm a big fan of U2. Huge fan. Currently I've been [listening to] Guzaarish, it's got some of my favourite tracks. I've also sung a song on it, although it's not out on the CD yet. But it's a beautiful song and I had a great time recording it with [director Sanjay Leela] Bhansali — he was singing himself and I was following and it was fun. "Apart from that, I'm hearing a lot of folk songs, I don't know why. Leaving on A Jet Plane, Country Roads... really nice. I'm in that zone right now."
Who he'd see at the Formula One concerts — Prince, Linkin Park or Kanye West:
"I think I'd choose Prince. I have admired him for just being himself. He's pretty fearless, he has his own style, his own demeanour. There's something very strange about him, but there's that massive amount of talent."
On his own live performances:
"I dance on stage when we have a world tour. I am a mess when I am on stage, I am as nervous as hell, but I do enjoy it, because of the live applause and the courage and the motivation that you get, it's amazing. It's a trip."
It’s Hot
On Tom Cruise doing his own stunts:
“Any artist is a slave to his vision. When you can visualise yourself going through something, if you can see yourself doing something, then you can do it, you have to do it. You can’t take somebody else doing it — that’s what makes me do [my own stunts]. “I’ve done quite a few crazy things in Krissh. The craziest one was a stunt on cables. I had to jump across a river and there were two big boulders in the middle that were not accessible to anyone. I had to pendulum, to swing past it, at about a height of 200 feet. The shot was being done while I’m on my return. So you get to the other side, then you turn yourself on the cable, to face the camera. Then you come hurtling towards the edge of the river, but first you come to the boulders, and take a leap. On the first try, people are only going by their eyes, so they let the rope go a little bit too much — two inches — and the boulder caught my shoe, and it actually sliced the front part of my shoe off. A few more inches [and] I could have [lost] my whole foot. But I had to go at it again and again for the film. “You have to have a tremendous amount of faith. It’s a risk, but it’s a calculated risk. Once you can see it in your mind, you have to do it.”
On Harry Potter:
“I have read the books and I have seen the films. I am a big fan. I don’t know if my eldest son has seen them, he’s just four now. Maybe if he gets excited, I might take him myself.”
On the Obamas in India:
“I have an overview [of the news], especially at a time like this when we are promoting the film — it’s hectic and a whirlwind, so I haven’t followed it exactly. I am really happy he’s there and there’s a lot of good going to come out of it. “The only way is up right now for India, whether the economy or the vision for the new India, it’s going better and better. I am very confident that we will achieve what we’ve set out to do.”
On Twitter:
“I check for feedback for myself. It’s a great pastime and also a great source of criticism and encouragement.”
In style
24 hours in Hrithik’s wardrobe For the interview:
“D&G shirt, and Jack&Jones jeans. I don’t really know much about style.”
Wake up wearing:
“I usually wear my boxers to bed.”
For a casual day at home:
“Shorts and a T-shirt.”
On the red carpet:
“That I always leave up to the designers or Suzanne, my wife. If it fits well, I don’t care what they are making me wear.”
In his films:
“With the characters, I am much better, because I think I know my characters more than I know myself. With myself, I’m confused about how I should be. With my characters, I know it inside out. I have a definite idea of how I want it to look, there’s a lot of work that goes into it. I have the last word.”
In Guzaarish:
“That’s [designer] Sabyasachi [Mukherjee]. He didn’t give me an opportunity to pick something and say, ‘that’s not good’, because everything was just perfect from the word go.”
Mad about movies
What Guzaarish means to him:
“I believe life is all about trying to evolve as much as you can as a human being, to challenge your fears, to truly find out your fullest potential. “Day by day, film by film, I am evolving. I am learning much more about life. This film has taught me a lot. It’s given me a perspective on how to live life, because of the kind of character I played. “During the prep, I met a lot of quadriplegics who really taught me a lot, and that’s, I think, a gift that is in this film for all the people who watch it. There’s a lesson, apart from all the entertainment and dance, there’s a great big lesson. I promise you when you come out of the theatre, no matter who you are, where you’re from, what your problems, are, you’ll smile and you’ll say, it’s okay, life is good.”
Just chill
His favourite comic: Garfield On the horoscopes:
“Horoscopes are good fun and can push you in the right way, but I totally believe in karma and the fact that you get what you deserve. If you haven’t got it yet, then you don’t deserve it, so you have to keep working harder.”
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Guzaarish: a casting coup?
Move over Bollywood’s sure-hit “K-trinity” (Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol), Guzaarish may have scooped a casting coup which could rival your winning combo. Acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has brought together Bollywood’s favourite on–screen couple Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan. If their previous outings — the sweeping period drama Jodhaa Akbar and the slick action-thriller Dhoom 2 — are anything to go by, Guzaarish has all the right ingredients for a Bollywood blockbuster.
“The vibe is just right, because Sanjay and I are coming together after a while, then there’s Hrithik and me coming together after a while,” says Rai Bachchan. “And what I love best about Guzaarish is that he has chosen a seemingly intense subject but told it in a positive, cathartic manner.” She plays Sofia D’Souza, a nurse to the critical quadriplegic Ethan Mascarenhas, played by Roshan. “It isn’t a subject that necessarily weighs you down, because it leaves the audience appreciative of the gift of life and makes them recognise that small things matter. “And Guzaarish is completely different from Hum Dil [De Chuke Sanam], which was a commercial entertainer at its best and Devdas,which I think was an opera on celluloid