Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara cast gets candid

The cast and crew of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) recently launched the digital promo of their film. Director Zoya Akhtar, producer-actor Farhan Akhtar, producer Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment, and lead actors Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Katrina Kaif were at their wittiest best. Here are the excerpts from the conversation...

We hear that the movie bears a resemblance to Dil Chahta Hai. What do you have to say about that?
Farhan: The only similarity this film has with Dil Chahta Hai (DCH) is that the film has three bachelors, and is about their friendship and journey. I assure you that the film is very different in its treatment. The content and writing is more mature than DCH. I loved being a part of making DCH and it has been a pleasure working on ZNMD as well.

Zoya: I worked on DCH and it is one of my favorite Hindi films. It is a pleasure and a compliment that this film is already being compared to DCH. If that pulls the crowds in, then it’s great.

The release date of the film was changed quite a few times.
Farhan: We want to give the best product, the best version of our film to the audiences, which is why we had to change the release dates from May to June and finally July. We are very happy with this version of the film.

Hrithik, have you seen the film yet? How does it feel to play a bachelor?
Hrithik: Yes, I did and I am ecstatic with the movie! Zoya is the only director I have worked with twice in my career, except my father.


The great thing about my job is that I can be married and still play a bachelor, and explore the world!

I have played larger-than-life characters in movies such as Jodhaa-Akbar, Krishh, Dhoom 2, and Koi Mil Gaya. This character is completely different from what I have played before because I had to be very real, normal and indifferent to the camera. I had a great time during the making of the film.

Katrina, you have ridden a bike in the film and are also a scuba diving instructor. How did you train for those scenes?
Katrina: I trained to ride the bike for four days and Zoya shot with me for three hours. I enjoyed riding the bike and want to do that in Mumbai too. I might just go for bike rides with my friends. Regarding scuba diving, I trained for three days in the swimming pool in Otters Club in Bandra and thought it was very easy. Cut to a few months later, all of us were in a big boat in the sea.
They stopped the boat in the middle of the sea and there was a storm. The instructor told us to jump and didn’t listen to anything I said about the storm. So we jumped and it was a completely new world. When we were done shooting, the instructor told us that he had not informed us about the hammerhead sharks that were swimming above us. So scuba diving was a life-changing experience for me.     

Abhay, you are the only guy who has kept his shirt on in the film. Hrithik and Farhan are happy to be topless.
Abhay: I really had no problems taking my shirt off, I was paid for it, after all! (Laughs) Actually, Arjun Bhasin, the stylist, told me that it was a better idea for me to keep my vest on because of my chest hair. Hrithik and Farhan have no chest hair and that is why they took off their shirts. We were shooting for the tomato festival sequence and he said all the juice would get messy in my hair and nobody would notice my six-pack abs because it would not be a pretty sight. So I kept the vest on. (With a straight face), If you pay me, I don’t mind taking my clothes off.

The movie is about living life to the fullest so what would you all do if you had only day to live?
Abhay: I would get married.

Katrina: I would also get married but not to Abhay.

Hrithik: I am thinking about it.

Zoya: I would release the film, no matter which stage of post-production it is in.

Ritesh: I would go and watch the film.

Farhan: I would call the doctor and ask him to confirm if I were really dying. I would spend my time calling and thanking the people that I love and acknowledging their influence in my life.

Katrina, the guys seem to get along fabulously so how did you mix with them?
Katrina: Farhan and Hrithik know each other since childhood and even Abhay mixed very well with them. It was very sweet of Abhay to make friends with me. The guys would be in one corner laughing away and I would be in another corner. We all bonded as the shooting progressed. The tomato festival was my favorite and most memorable day of shooting.