By Aneesa Malik
In the wake of the much-anticipated Dilwale release, the main cast of the film descended onto the crowds of London, where they enchanted everyone in their way. Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon sent the UK airwaves pandemonium in their (hashtag)DilwaleUKTakeover. The action, love story brings back the ultimate love match, Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan- who haven’t worked together in five years, since the release of My Name is Khan.
Asian World had the opportunity to speak with the 4 leads to discuss the film and for the newbies, how it feels to work alongside the king and queen of Bollywood!
Bollywood is renowned for its love stories. What makes Dilwale so different?
SRK: The film has two very clear-cut ideologies, which is based on Rohit Shetty’s style of cinema. It is a holiday blockbuster, which is a family orientated film consisting of action and a huge dose of comedy. Rohit has tried something different, with the concept of comparing love to lust. I’ve done so many love stories; it’s hard to find a different kind of love story. So, the kind of love that it sweet and romantic is being done by Varun and Kriti in this film. But Kajol and I also needed a love story. So ours is a more intense love story.
As we see more heroine roles emerging in the last 10 years of Bollywood, how has the status of a woman changed?
Kajol: It’s lovely that you have a whole array of things in front of you as an actor and you’re told to choose. You can choose a carnation, a rose; whatever you feel like.
Kriti: I would agree with Kajol, as you see there are different kinds of films being made. I don’t like the word ‘women-centric’, because we don’t call the other films ‘male-centric’. People and directors are getting a little more confident about making a film with the main character as a woman, simply because the audience is reacting to it. I remember last year we had about 5 or 6 films where the woman was the hero of the film. So it think it’s a great time to experiment as an actor.
How does it feel to work alongside the king and queen of Bollywood?
Varun: It feels amazing, it’s just my second film, getting an opportunity like this feels like a blessing. And being in the same frame as them and growing up watching them, they are the most amazing actors that we have in our industry so it’s been a huge journey and experience for me. It was really amazing working with Kriti and in the same frame with Kriti. This film has so many established actors, they are brilliant actors that have won awards all round and you have Kriti; this is just her second film. Kriti always has another take on things. She will always ask if we can retry this or we can do this or you do this and I’ll do this; these small small things she says really made a big difference.
How has the industry welcomed you?
Kriti: I think it’s been very welcoming. Just having done one film and being accepted by audience. I’ve done 2 Telegu films, but I’m talking about the Hindi film industry, so it’s my second film. But the Hindi film industry is accepting me by just watching one film, which is great. I’ve met everybody in the industry and everyone’s been really really warm. Initially I was a little awkward to meet people because you feel out of place and you don’t know anyone , but I think slowly I’m getting in to it.
Bollywood is a very glamorous industry. Is it all it’s made out to be?
Kriti: The glamour bit is there, you have to really put in an effort; the way your dressed and I really take stress by doing all this and I’m not very quick in decision making so when it comes to make up and what I have to wear I go mad. You have a stylist, you have a manager and you have makeup people and we kind of do a brainstorm and it is a lot of effort on a regular basis.
Varun: It is more difficult for the girls definitely , guys can wear a black suit and a black short and just pass out. I’m not that really into fashion and I think as a girl it is very difficult not to be in to fashion.
Do you think the kind of love that is portrayed in these kinds of films is achievable in real life?
Varun: Definitely, 150% and this is my serious answer because we spent 60 days in Hyderabad in making this film, all of us was there and we actually bonded as a team, so the chemistry you will see in this film is actually real. As a human I can tell you what’s real and what’s fake and the emotion I have towards Shah Rukh or I share with Kriti , we all became like a family , we would have dinner together so it became like a family thing. The film is not fake in that sense and you can have them kind of relationships in real life; it’s very normal it’s like any girlfriend and boyfriend will relate to it.
