"It's time to get real. Even kids know what a kiss is now-a-days" - Deepika Padukone at the Love Aaj Kal press conference

by Devansh Patel


Deepika Padukone is four films old but too young when it comes to working with her male co-stars. All the actors with whom she has worked with, except Ranbir Kapoor, are almost fifteen years older to her, which takes us back to our first meeting with Miss Padukone in London during her red carpet arrival for the premiere of Om Shanti Om. She was wearing a sexy red dress and painted the Leicester Square red. Back to aaj, she has matured in love and how. We see her in a lovey-dovey pink to promote her upcoming film Love Aaj Kal in front of a packed Indian media. A suburban girl who shot to fame as a supermodel and then to super stardom as SRK's lover in Om Shanti Om, Deepika has now moved up the ladder in Bollywood playing lover girl in all her films. Love Aaj Kal being the fourth. Life's just kind of perfect at the moment. For someone whose name and visage have been used to sell everything from lingere, to jewellery to chewing gums, Deepika doesn't seem at all preoccupied with her image. Padukone seems totally comfortable with all her many roles. In some moments, she sounds like a typical plate-spinning working mom, concerned about getting healthy meals on the table for her kids, till you realise that she is still single. A woman who gives a firm 'no-no' to live in relationships is more than willing to settle down and look after her husband once she gets married. Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent and UK's Harrow Observer columnist meets the immortal figure who believes in having three guidelines when it comes to love: Be happy with what you have, keep things simple and go with the flow.

Four films old
The journey has been wonderful. Everyone's way of acting, everyone's style of acting, everyone's approach, etc has been wonderful. Two out of my four co-stars are also producers. Saif was very kind and polite. Somewhere the nawab in him came out because of his London education. He is a royal man and deserves everything royal.

Luck factor
I hope I bring the same luck to Saif Ali Khan as I did to Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om. Love Aaj Kal will go down as one of the most special films for me, irrespective of what the outcome is and what people are going to think.

Compliment from Saif
It's a huge compliment from Saif if he has compared me to Rani Mukherjee. Something like this is an honour coming from Saif. In fact, I have learnt a lot from him. The fact that he is so experienced and his style is so natural makes you want to work with him again. I really look up to that kind of a performance. I've been a big fan of his right from Dil Chahta Hai.

Co-stars
I don't feel any age difference. In fact I feel secure with my co-stars who are so experienced. It's great for someone like me who is so new and has absolutely no background from this industry. All my co-stars have been giving and supportive and that in turn has a tremendous role in the way I perform on screen.

On Imtiaz Ali
Imtiaz Ali is a genius. He is so sensitive to peoples performances and people in general. As an actor I think it's nice to have a director who understands my approach to a scene. Saif and me are so different from each other as actors. It's nice to have a director who can bring that together on screen and get that good performance out of us.

Kareena controversy
Whenever I was on the sets shooting, I didn't see Kareena anywhere near me. I don't know when she has come and when she has gone. She must've come when I had my days off, I hope. I'm sure she understands that it's not possible for a director to work with the same co-star again and again. It's great that you've had a hit film with a certain director. It's absolutely untrue that there is any sort of discomfort between the two of us or any form of negativity. She knows she is brilliant and she has done a great job in Jab We Met. I guess, Imtiaz was damn sure of who he wanted to cast in Love Aaj Kal.

Reel life to real life
I'm a perfect blend of Love Aaj and Love Kal. I'm practical in real life though. As an actor when you do a film, two things can happen. Either the role you're playing is very different from who you are in real life or it is very similar to the person you are off screen. It's spooky how similar Meera's character is to me in Love Aaj Kal. I think 90% of the film and the way I react in certain situations is the way I'd in real life.

Love yesterday and Love today
I believe that long distance love lasts. I think different people deal with relationships differently. Their definition may be different but at the end of the day, love exists. Different relationships go through different ups and downs. But when you sit together and have a chat about it, everyone will have the same thing to say. Earlier couples used to take hours writing letters and today it can happen in a few seconds by you sending an sms to your loved one. Times have changed but the love remains the same, the feeling remains the same. Meetings these days is a lot easier. You can still stay connected with your loved one via a web cam on your computer. Earlier you'd have to travel for miles to see each other.

Live in relationship or getting married
I am someone who completely believes in falling in love and settling down. I'm not for live in relationships. If I get married, my house and my husband is my number one priority. I tackle my relationship with Ranbir very well. It's not the easiest thing to do but it takes two secure people to deal with things like that. I've been able to do that.

Lip lock moment
Sometimes when you decide to do something, like a kissing scene in the film, you just do it because you feel it's right. I think the scene was necessary for the film and I believed in it. I do not have to take permission from anyone. I've been able to separate my personal life from my professional life and hope to keep it that way for a long time. It's time to get real. Everyone's aware of these kinds of things on screen. Even the kids know about it. So why make such a big fuss?

"Kareena has seen the film and she liked it" - Saif Ali Khan at the Love Aaj Kal press conference

by Devansh Patel


Saif Ali Khan is just five minutes away before he addresses the Indian media on his maiden venture into production for his film Love Aaj Kal in which he also stars opposite the beautiful leggy Deepika Padukone. But inside the PVR theatre, the room temperature is high and our mind is on overdrive. He has it all. A successful career and a blissful relationship with Kareena Kapoor. Media keeps waiting for more than an hour but they don't complaint because the man in question is a 'nawab'. In fact, there is a 99% possibility that he can be declared as the sexiest man alive in Bollywood. So there he was; he walks up to the stage with an English walk, wearing the summer cliché white shirt and blue denims. His brown boots, brown sun-glasses and belt makes him the ultimate spaghetti western and a true style icon of Hindi cinema. For the genial Indian actor, there is more than usual at stake because Love Aaj Kal is too personal for him. Not only is Saif inspired by his idol Clint Eastwood, he also recalls what the American actor once said, “The worst step I can ever take is to get into production. So I've named my company 'Malpaso' which means a bad step”. Khan quotes, “I think that was very brave and bold.” Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent and UK's Harrow Observer columnist meets the desi cowboy in videsi style to talk all about Love Aaj Kal, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, Imtiaz Ali, his take on life, career and how to play it safe in love. Over to Saif in Love!

As a debutant producer:
You are never hundred percent satisfied as a producer. Every detail has to be organised. Even if you want a glass of water, it has to be organised. We've learnt a lot of things into our maiden venture and my dear friend and partner Mr Dinesh Vijan has been a great support. Our entire team of Illuminati is fantastic. But it was Imtiaz Ali who told me that he wanted me to only be an actor as he didn't like me to handle the production problems. Yes, creatively, in terms of promos, posters, etc I've been actively involved with. Being a producer is sometimes frightening but it's also exciting. I'm in a positive frame of mind with Love Aaj Kal.

Advise from Karan Johar , Farhan Akhtar:
I've been fortunate enough to work in a few very good productions. My only success in cinema came from working with big banners like Yash Raj, Excel Entertainment, Dharma Productions, etc. I'm fortunate enough to have friends in the industry who're producers too. Karan Johar and Farhan Akhtar would be happy to advise me on the finer tips about production if ever I asked them for one. I haven't called anyone to ask for help. I'm not saying that I know everything about production but I believe that everything is a learning process and somehow we've managed to make our first film.

Why a producer?
My interest really is not so much in production. But after working for eighteen years you feel that it'll be nice to own a little bit of what you're working for and work a little bit more for yourself and be creatively involved. When your own money is involved, the inputs from friends, colleagues mean something else. So I wanted to learn that level of involvement and business that has given me so much. Today, I do feel more ready as a producer, an independent one because there aren't any independent producers left. All have turned into one big production house.

The mystery woman:
There isn't any mystery surrounding the second actress in Love Aaj Kal. Her name is Harleen. She isn't here as a part of the promotion for the film because we felt that the main focus of the movie is Deepika and myself in terms of characters. Harleen isn't someone whom we've kept deliberately away from you. She is very good in the film.

Why Imtiaz Ali?
When you hear a script and hear a vibe from somebody, it works for me. A famous actor once said, “The clever thing an actor does is not acting, it's the listening he does”. I'm a good listener. So when Imtiaz narrated me the script, I decided that we should go ahead with the film.

Love 1965 to 2009:
I think the experience of love is the same. A lot of cinematic and real life love stories have certain obstacles. In today's time it could be career, distance, etc. The process of falling in love may be different in two different eras but the feeling is the same. That is pretty much what Love Aaj Kal is about. There is a 1965 love kal and 2009 love aaj. So there is a story within the story and it's not really a comparison between two different eras. I'm not playing a double role and Imtiaz Ali isn't going to make a film which is confusing.

Saif Ali Khan the lover:
I guess everybody has the same definition for love. I mean, I am lovey-dovey kinds but also a bit practical and if you're saying that there is too much love happening in my life, I think it's a little bit unfair. That's got a lot to do with the media (laughs). Yes, I've got a lot of love in my life which is a good thing.

On Deepika Padukone:
Deepika's personality grounds my personality on screen, in a way what Rani Mukherjee does because we are different types. I'm a little more western in my things and she is a little more earthy. That mixture makes an interesting chemistry on screen.

Playing a Sardar:
To play a sardar, I had some responsibilities to it also. We met various members of some Sikh organisations like the Akali's. They were all very happy when they heard about the film and my role. Dolly Tiwari who has done my clothes in the film has been so perfect to dress me up as one. A lot of sardarji's will be very proud for the honourable representation that this character has given in the film. I had to work on the accent a little bit.

On IIFA:
IIFA is a great platform to promote your film as long as it suits everybody. The main performance slot is the first one or the last one and they both were already taken. The opening act was already booked and the Bachchans are doing the grand finale at this years IIFA. So we didn't want to dissolve or film somewhere in the middle.

On Salman and Akshay playing a Sardar:
I haven't seen Salman Khan's film Heroes but I have seen Akshay's Singh is King. I thought that was a very glamorous and a cool kind of a film and I think he looked very good. The outfits were larger than life but the Sardar I'm playing is very down to earth and there is no comparison. You should see a film as a new and a different world and only then you'll enjoy it. We can compare between us but the idea is just to be genuine within that and not really think about others.