Raajneeti’s powerful quartet —Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal and director Prakash Jha — may play dirty in their latest political thriller, but their visit to the Gulf News office Tuesday was pitch-perfect.
In town for a press junket to promote Rajneeti, the stars arrived with a massive entourage at our editorial room to guest-edit today’s tabloid!
Even though acting is their forte, the four proved they were equally good at doling out opinions, choosing the juiciest gossip and speaking about the political controversies dogging this year’s prestigious IIFA Awards. While Rock On!!! star Rampal was cheeky as he playfully pinched his director’s bottom, Kaif was unusually chatty.
In pictures: Bollywood stars guest edit tabloid!
Contrary to her ice-queen reputation, Kaif impressed us with her cutting-edge editorial skills. Case in point: when she was handed our It’s Hot page which had Kylie Minogue’s break-up news splashed all over it, she maintained a neutral stand.
“Personally, I don’t like reading about my personal life in the papers. But let’s face it, when I buy a magazine, I read what’s happening in Jennifer Aniston’s personal life. That’s the way it is. Even we are consumers of that gossip…so yeah, this should stay in,” Kaif said.
Kapoor echoed her sentiments but rounded off with a cheeky: “There is never smoke without fire,” as he sipped a Pepsi, displaying uncanny brand loyalty.
But if there was one page that left all four on an unsure footing, it was the In Style page. While the hunks — Kapoor, Rampal and Jha — had a blank expression, Kaif was surprisingly out of her depth too. Her candid, “I am not into fashion all that much,” underlined her stand. Apparently, Indian designer Rocky S is her go-to man for sartorial choices.
Things took a graver turn when we asked them to comment on our IIFA pull-out and the political controversy surrounding the upcoming awards.
Though they all gave politically-correct responses, they confirmed to tabloid! that they will be giving IIFA a miss this year as they are promoting their film in Hong Kong. But they were quick to point out that art was suffering in the name of politics.
Unfortunate
Several actors have pulled out of the IIFAs fearing a backlash from pro-Tamil Groups over Sri Lanka hosting the awards ceremony.
“What is happening is unfortunate. The whole issue is over-hyped. Sri Lanka is like any other city, country in the world. Any form of art deserves to be celebrated,” Kapoor said.
Meanwhile, director Prakash Jha, whose credits include political sagas Apaharan and Mrityudand, lamented about political twists.
“It’s an irony of sorts. Art shouldn’t suffer in the name of politics.” Kaif, known for her electrifying stage performances at IIFA, will be missing out this year.
“I was invited to perform but I will be shooting in Spain. But truth be told, I love the stage performances. The energy around me and the anticipation whether everything will go right is the most exciting part.”
It’s also big year for Kapoor. His film Wake Up Sid has been nominated in this year’s Best Film category and his performance has made it to the Best Actor slot.
“Winning awards is not as important as being appreciated. It’s been a great year but more than awards, I want people to watch my films,” says Kapoor.
It was not all work for this glamorous quartet, who confided that they will wrap up their night at Cavalli Club.
