Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge does not boast Bollywood heavyweights. But if you have a script that revolves around the happening world of social networking, "then who needs heroes?" asks the film's debutante director, Nupur Asthana.
The tale — about a bunch of college kids discovering soulmates online with a liberal dose of identity swapping thrown in for good measure — is high on novelty and will find resonance among today's youth, she adds. The film runs on the tagline: "If you can't make it, then fake it."
tabloid! caught up with the lead actors — all fresh faces — to hear their take on living life vicariously via social media, identity thefts and Facebook addiction.
Saba Azad (Preity)
Profile: "Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge is is my third film after festival-friendly Huroor and romantic comedy Dil Kabaddi with Rahul Bose. I am a Delhi-born girl and I have grown up in a culturally-charged environment. All my family members are in creative fields including theatre, advertising and painting. In MFK, I play Preity, a man-hater who is just antsy towards boys. Though I am intelligent, I am highly insecure about the way I look. Enters the idea of identity swap to nail the college rockstar by taking on the id of my beautiful, popular best friend Malvika."
- Notification on MFK: "If you want a young, crisp film without any melodrama, then this is your film. Whether young or old, you will identify with each character."
- FB status: "Personally, I am what you call medium-rare. I log on to FB once every two days. I don't do status updates and I log on to respond to messages. It's a tool to keep in touch with friends and it can never take the place of a real face-to-face meeting."
- The lamest FB update I have read: "‘Now I am going to the bathroom and now I am going to the barber'. Like we care."
- FB friends: "I can't disclose that."
- FB update: "It's very confusing and I wish they would stop changing so many things."
- Fake FB account? "No. But there are three people faking my ID and I am not happy about it."
- Soulmates on FB? "Relationships can come alive only after meeting face to face. I am old school when it comes to dating and love. Living life vicariously in the virtual world is fun, but you can't expect to find long-term happiness there."
Saqib Saleem (Vishal)
Profile: "My father runs a restaurant business in Delhi. But I moved to Mumbai because I was dating somebody who lived here. Acting was not my first love because I have always wanted to be a sportsman. I got into modelling to earn some pocket money and I stumbled into films. I am currently inspired by Ranveer Singh, who showed that a non-industry actor [sons of stars] can make it big if there's hard work. In my debut film, I play college prankster Vishal, who has his own share of insecurities."
- Notification on MFK: "The film deals with the ‘it' topic of today. How real are online relationships, is the big question we answer."
- FB status: "I am an FB addict and I am on it 24/7. I am constantly responding to friend requests, mails and reading posts about the latest Bollywood releases. My life will be incomplete without logging on to FB. In fact, if I want to meet my neighbour for coffee, I would wall post her."
- FB boundaries: "My mother recently send me an FB request and I had to turn her down. I can be anybody's friend but not with my mum because there are certain pictures that I don't want her to see."
- Most random FB update: "When I lived with my friends in Mumbai and forgot to log off, they went ahead and posted: ‘I love Chunky Pandey'. That was hilarious."
- FB likes: "It can get a bit too intrusive but the plus is that you can approach anybody in this world. And, by that I don't mean hitting on girls randomly. I love the fact that you can tag pictures of your friends and share it instantly. Also, I would always use FB as a social-networking tool and not a job-hunting machine."
- Fake FB account?: "Every guy has done it. When you are in college you are always trying to impress girls by posting a hot pic that is not really you."
Tara D'Souza (Malvika)
Profile: "This is my second film after playing Ali's [Zafar] girlfriend in Meri Brother Ki Dulhan. I was a TV anchor before entering the world of films. I play Miss Popular, Malvika. While I am a bit of a tomboy, Malvika is this beautiful, chic girl who loves to ride motorcycles. If I am with my friends, I would easily slap a guy on his back when he cracks a joke, Malvika would never do that. So the toughest part of my role was to imagine how this beautiful creature Malvika would react to a situation. Her life appears perfect."
- My FB activity: "I am not an FB addict. All my contacts on my friends' list are people I know personally. There is not one random stranger or a classmate that I don't remember studying with."
- My weirdest FB update: "I don't do status updates because I wish I had something witty to say. I hate people who put updates like: ‘Driving in the rain today and there's so much traffic in Mumbai'."
- The best part about FB: "The birthday calendar tool. Those reminders are the best things that have happened to me. I cannot remember dates and after FB intervention, I can actually pretend to remember birthdays and special days of my friends and family."
- Fake FB account?: "I can never do that because it just seems wrong. The guys may think it's fun but I find it so uncool."
- Soulmates on FB?: "I don't believe in online relationships. Yes, I am generalising but why would you want to sit in front of a computer when you can possibly meet that person and use all your senses like eyes, smell etc. If I ran the country, then I would want a no-technology week where phones were banned, especially in restaurants."
Nishant Dahiya (Rahul)
Profile: "I am a computer engineer who lasted in a software firm for five months. But they terminated me when I did not turn up for work. Then I got into modeling and moved to Mumbai four years ago to try my hand at acting. The rest is history. I play the Mr Popular on the campus, who's chilled out. Everybody loves him and I would do anything for my friends."
- Notification on MFK: "If you are wondering about the Fraandship bit of the title - that's a funny take on that guy in Delhi or North India who sends a message to a hot girl asking whether they want to be friends with him. The way he says it - it sounds unwittingly like [Fraands]. This film is bang on trend."
- My FB activity: "I am an addict and I am logged on to it 24/7."
- Number of friends on your list: "1700."
- De-friending status?: "There was this weird person abusing me constantly on my message inbox. I think he nursed a grudge and I had to block him."
- Your lamest FB wall update: "Mein Rahul Rahul Chillaonga Kurta Phadke [I will scream Rahul, Rahul after tearing off my shirt — a dialogue from MFK]."
- My memo to Zukerberg: "Please stop the facility where a person can tag you or groups who tag you and send constant updates."
- Fake FB account?: "I created a fake ID posing as this hot girl in a bikini. I even chatted to my guy friend for over 30 days. And, I even made him wear black clothes in the sweltering heat and turn up at a garden to meet me."
- Best part about FB: "It connects you to the world immediately."
