Source: Khaleej Times
By: Gaurav Achipalya
Date: November 21, 2016
Dubbed as the 'Greek God' of Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan has had a rough patch of late - whether it be his personal life or his last release Mohenjo Daro which didn't exactly meet with great success at the box office. But his upcoming movie Kaabil has created a lot of buzz since the launch of its trailer. Reports even have it that Bollywood's 'Mr. Perfectionist' Aamir Khan is raving about the movie after having seen its trailer.
So what does a superstar do between a not-so-great last release and a highly anticipated upcoming movie? Endorse a brand, of course! The actor was in Dubai yesterday to promote the brand he has recently associated himself with, RMD Boards. In a one-on-one interview with City Times ahead of the press conference announcing his relationship with the brand he said that he loves being in Dubai. "It is one of my favourite places, I love coming here because of all the stuff it has for me and my kids to enjoy. It's one of the most incredible cities in the world. It is also close to my home, so I keep coming here very often."
If you didn't manage to catch the star in Dubai this time, don't despair, cause he let us in on the fact that he will be here for two days soon to promote Kaabil.
But before that, you can feast your eyes on the nearly James Bond-ish television commercial for the brand that sees him in action mode with Jacqueline Fernandez. Roshan, reportedly spent 21 hours shooting for this commercial, which looks like a scene straight out of a spy thriller. For which of course he thanked his director Sahil Sangha who was also present at the press conference. Having witnessed the amazing chemistry Roshan shares with Fernandez in the action-packed commercial, we wonder if there is a chance of both being cast together for a movie soon...
And for those who feel 21 hours is a long time to spend for a commercial that runs for a few seconds, Hrithik has news. He informed us that for his own clothing brand HRX, he actually put in 24 hours! Now here is one dedicated brand ambassador that anyone would be happy to be associated with.
Queue up for Kaabil
Hrithik's upcoming Bollywood flick Kaabil, directed by Sanjay Gupta is a blind love story. Yes, we mean that literally. In this movie, Hrithik's character is of a blind man who finds the love of his life in a blind girl played by Yami Gautam. The film he says "is very special as it is a love story of two blind people." He said that "Hindi cinema up until now has not yet projected the true character of blindness. It has been perceived and portrayed as if it's a handicap that comes along with a feeling of helplessness and a sense of being less than normal. Which is absolutely wrong! This is the impact it had on me when I personally met some blind friends, so we have played the role where blindness as a handicap has no relevance."
Jacqueline in full force
"I think Jacqueline has been the toughest fighter that I have worked with. By the time we were done with the action, I remember that a box of ice had to be brought on the sets because her forearms were swollen and red," said Hrithik. The actor said that she was giving it all she had got; he saw her in pain while doing the stunts for the ad film, yet she kept coming back with full force. He even added that it wasn't anything like working with a stuntman or a fighter from Bollywood as he felt the intensity with which Jacqueline was coming at him in every shot. The duo could probably play a desi version of the Hollhywood flick Mr and Mrs Smith...
Brand it like Hrithik
How does a man, who has achieved stardom and fame, choose what brand to associate himself with? "I look at the heart and mind of the brand," said Hrithik. The product, he believes, is the heart and the people behind it is its mind. Now that's one of the most anatomical descriptions out there for making brand associated decisions! Not to mention the huge pay cheque that must have come along with doing such an amazing job. And we guess nobody is talking about how much Roshan made from this one commercial.
Source: Gulf News
By: Manjusha Radhakrishnan
Date: November 21, 2016
Bollywood star was in town to fulful his role as ambassador for a building materials company
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan addressing media about his association with RMD Boards Campaign at The Big5 International Building & Construction Show. Photo: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
If you ever found yourself in Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan’s home in Mumbai, you have one thing less to worry about: you can spill coffee on his couch and he won’t judge or budge.
“I don’t like homes that look palatial. I want you to feel at home and there should be a sense of warmth. My home should say, come and mess it up, have a good time, chill and let’s just chat,” said Roshan in an interview with Gulf News tabloid! on Monday afternoon.
The famously divorced and single actor also revealed that he is in the process of building a holiday home for him and his two children in Khandala near Mumbai.
“Right now [in their Mumbai residence], we have a wall that has a map of the world. It has also got a road map of all our travels. It has points on where we want to go and the routing. We regard ourselves as travellers and explorers,” said Roshan.
The Kaabil star was in Dubai to unveil the action-filled advertisement to promote the construction material company, RMD Board, at the Big 5 in Dubai World Trade Centre. Actress Dia Mirza’s husband, producer Sahil Sangha, directed the video.
“What you will see in that advert is something out of a fantasy fiction.”
In the commercial, Roshan and actress Jacqueline Fernandez play a sexy couple who spar for fun and indulge in hand-to-hand combat as a wager. A sensually-charged Mr & Mrs Smith-style, if you will.
“Jacqueline was a true fighter. She was ready to do all the stunts herself and we had blocks of ice ready because her wrists and arms were turning blue with all that combat scenes. But she was serious and I knew if I didn’t bring my A-game here, then she is strong enough to hurt me,” said Roshan with a laugh.
The actor, who is still balking from the box-office debacle of period drama Mohenjo Daro, has Kaabil up for release on January 25.
“Bollywood has faltered a bit when it comes to showing people who are blind in Hindi films. But we have been very careful about it in Kaabil,” said Roshan, adding that the film doesn’t depict blind people as less functional individuals.
Bollywood superstar and RMD Board Brand Ambassador, Hrithik Roshan, formally opened the RMD Board’s huge pavilion at The BIG5 trade exhibition at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) today and launched the high-action, much-anticipated TV commercial for the RMD Board for whom he is the Brand Ambassador for two years.
He said: “It is not very often that I am endorsing a product and it turns into a relationship like it is. It’s not very often, again, that you do an ad film and it turns into a kind of scene out of a classic movie and I think that’s what this has turned out to be.”
RMD Board is a manufacturer of wall panel products that serves as an alternative to the conventional wall decorative materials which helps a great deal in reducing fire hazards and deforestation. The pre-decorated wall and ceiling panel manufacturer has seen the demand rising across its markets landscape, including the Arabian Gulf region where Dubai had surpassed 100,000th hotel room inventory milestone and is to witness hitting 134,000 rooms mark by 2018.
RMD Board, in keeping with emerging demand, is focussed on products that boast the natural look of marble, granite, wood and leather, rather than artificial designs, says he, and added that RMD now has a new collection, designed taking into account these factors.
It has invested in researching the emerging and future trends in the construction and interior decoration sectors, which prompted it to go for a one-stop shop concept to meet the customers’ expectations.
From its state-of-the-art AED450 million, 40,000 square metres manufacturing plant of composite polypropylene (PP) boards in one of the world’s largest free zones in Dubai outskirts, the company rolls out environment-friendly decorative wall panels.
Since commissioning its first state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in 2012, the diversified conglomerate has been expanding the production capacity. From an installed capacity of 12000 tonnes per annum, it plans manufacturing per day 30000 linear meters of boards in the near future. It has ambitious AED1.5 billion investment plans for 70 polypropylene manufacturing lines in seven countries.
The company aims to reach global production of half a million metric tonnes per annum by 2016. The company is presently doing a turnover of AED260 million and it is eyeing AED3 billion turnover by the year 2020.The company plans to have plants in six countries - India, China, Turkey, Russia, Brazil and USA - in the next seven years - not necessarily in that order.
The Bollywood hulk created a history when he shot 21 hours non-stop for the RMD Board TV commercial (TVC) in Mumbai along with the Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez with Sahil Sangha (Film actress and model Dia Mirza’s husband) as its director.
He added: “Working with Jacqueline has been incredible. I think she has been the toughest fighter that I have worked it….I could see she was giving it all and she was hurting herself and she was still coming with full force. The action that you see is not filmy action.” The entire film was an incredible experience.
Addressing a Press conference, he, when asked about his love for doing action movies like James Bon, said: “Honestly it’s a space that I really enjoy. I really enjoy this character that’s all I can say. Yeah absolutely. I am always looking forward to doing something in this space.”
He said in response to another question that Krishh remains his superhero. About his next film Kaabil due to release in January 2017, he said he plays a blind character in the movie. He remarked: “ I think the film bears a huge responsibly here because Indian cinema for the longest time, I think, has faltered a bit in portraying what that world is like and what the human potential is and how it actually pans out in someone’s life if they’re born blind.”
He added: “Actually I was not aware of it until I met my blind friends and in about 20 minutes I had changed my entire perspective on my character. So eventually when I got into it, I have not kept any single ounce of helplessness or sensation or nuances that kind of tell you that there’s something less about this person.
He remarked further: “No, I didn’t found that in any of the people who are blind that I met. The blind in their own world are complete. They’re living amazing lives. The kind of education and access to skilled development that they have that helps them. It’s all about growth. I’m so inspired to know that’s the potential we all have. I was very excited when this film began.”
Responding to a query, he said Dubai was one of his favourite places in the world. “My kids love it. I love it. There’s just so much to do. Wherever I get a day or two off, not very often but whenever I do, Dubai is at the top of my list,” said Hrithik who was last seen his two kids in Dubai holidaying in May.
About doing TVC for RMD Board, he said: “ I think it’s a combination of heart and mind. Just like how I chose my films. They must reflect the same intent towards whatever we’re doing in life. RMD boards could also be called Real Magic Dream boards if you ask me.”
He said further: “If I list all the qualities that this product has it sounds like something out of a fantasy science fiction film. Really, it’s endless and incredible. This is something that’s made a personal impact in my life and I’m something I’m going to use personally. So it goes without saying. As I said, it is heart where the people are concerned and mind where the product is concerned and it that is a match, that’s it.”
On his part, Sahil Sagha said the TVC has seen the two actors, both RMD Brand Ambassadors, coming together for the first time for a television commercial. While the product was launched in 2011, after many years of research and development, the brand’s identity has been in its nascent stages.
“The energy of the film should attract the audience’s attention to them in association with the brand, because they don’t know the brand yet and now they will be curious,” he said, and disclosed that the entire set for the TVC was made with real use of RMD products.
Anupam Lunavat, Managing Director, RMD Board at JRD International, said Hrithik was chosen as they wanted “someone with strength and Greek or Roman look and with a corporate imagine, not only a Bollywood image”.
He remarked : “Hrithik is a symbol of strength. He is a Romantic action hero. I said why don’t we connect the housewives and romance and family with walls and décor and that’s why Jaqueline Fernandez.”