Dubai: Frenzied fans with incredible lung power are to be expected when Bollywood stars hit a mall in Dubai.
But change the celebrity venue to an invite-only luncheon at the Meydan Hotel, and you might expect a more reserved attitude from the well-heeled guests. On Wednesday in Dubai, the Deol family had a different story to tell.
The Bollywood acting family — patriarch Dharmendra and his sons Sunny and Bobby — were subject to some intense Bollywood mania. One minute, the guests — mainly women dripping in diamonds and designer bags — were elegantly tucking into biryani. But their behaviour saw a marked change the moment the stars of Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 appeared in the banquet room overlooking the lush horse racing course.
While elder son Sunny Deol is the face of the male inner wear brand Lux Cozi, who hosted the lunch, it was tall and brooding Bobby Deol who had dozens of women swooning. tabloid! discovered that Deol Jr couldn’t even take a toilet break without being accosted on the way, sweetly obliging when fans requested photographs.
“It’s their love talking. Sometimes it’s like a flood and is a bit uncontrollable,,” said Dharmendra with a laugh, looking around him. A day before their Dubai trip, the trio had to cancel a mall appearance in India because of the surging crowds that gathered to see them.
“It was more of a security issue, but it feels good to know that you are loved so much,” said Sunny. The three have reunited with a Punjabi-flavoured comedy directed by Sangeet Sivan.
“I feel as if I am a KG student who’s awaiting the results of an exam,” said Dharmendra. But he didn’t show any sign of nervousness when a fan asked him to dance on stage. The legendary actor is famous for being a dancer with a unique, imperfect style.
“When papa dances, people love it. Even actors imitate papa in their films. Maximum people in the world realised that they can be free on the dance-floor after watching him dance,” said Sunny. Dharmendra even goaded people to adopt an “I don’t care who’s watching me” attitude when it comes to dancing.
“See sir, dancing is something that not many among us really know. Only five per cent of us in this room really know how to dance, the rest are like me. So have fun,” said Dharmendra.
Later in the evening, the trio hit the Meydan Imax for the premiere of their film, which goes on general release in the UAE today.
