While the cast of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara drove around some of the most scenic locales in the world - the picturesque valleys of Valencia and the quaint lanes boasting of thriving indigenous flavours in Barcelona, business and pleasure had rolled into one. As they frolicked away in the warm sunshine of Europe, for director Zoya Akhtar however, it was serious work as usual.
"The cast had a blast!" says Zoya while emphasising on the last word of the sentence. And then with a mock solemn look on her face, she exclaims, "It was hard work for me with very few patches of the blue sky in between."
Movie buffs and critics have already been calling the film 'a boy's flick' - a cross between Hangover and Dil Chahta Hai. Zoya is however the least bit perturbed with all the tongues wagging around her. She says, "Even Rang De Basanti was a boys' film...even Rock On!!! and Dil Chahta Hai. In all these films, the women were an integral part of the story. And I don't write bad characters for women either."
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is essentially the story of three friends (Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan and Abhay Deol) who hit the dirt on a road trip that changes their lives forever.
The seed of the idea behind Zindagi... starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Abhay Deol and Kalki was born during the many road trip Zoya undertook in the past - often in the company of brother Farhan and sometimes even sharing a car with co-writer of Zindagi... Reema Kagti. "I love travelling, " points out the director and adds, "I wanted to set my film somewhere outside. Luck By Chance was shot extensively in Bombay (Mumbai) and so wanted to go out (of the city) this time. Reema and I spoke about our idea and never has a script been woven together in such a short time - in three months."
One would think that for Zoya who originally wanted to cast Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan in this film then turning to Hrithik Roshan (He also starred in Zoya's Luck By Chance) and Farhan, and including them in the cast was a case of playing safe. However, she vehemently denies the claim and instead explains, "I love Hrithik Roshan. Even if I was making a film for Rs 1 crore, I would have approached him to work for the film. And, Farhan is extremely intelligent to work with."
Working with some of the big names in Bollywood in Zindagi..., Zoya says that the film was not a solo act; in fact the entire cast pitched in with ideas which were then fed into the filtering process and the best ones put to use. Zoya puts in humbly, "All the actors in this film are experts in their own fields. Everyone came back with 150 ideas. But ultimately, we had to choose what worked for us." Rather emphatically, she then adds, "They are not props in my film. They are all thinking actors."
Interestingly, Zoya also reveals to IBNLive that while casting the rest of the actors in the film came easy to her, she in fact had auditioned a lot of other people before finally handing out the role of the female lead to Katrina Kaif - surprise, surprise! The requirements for the role, as Zoya puts it, were that the actress would have to be of Indian-Caucatian descent, would be able to ride a bike and even scuba dive. Zoya admits that casting Katrina not once came to her mind till she had exhausted herself looking for an actress, who fits the bill, all across New York and London. Quite sheepishly, Zoya admits, "I didn't know Katrina at all, till I met her at a party. I saw her and I realised 'This is what I have been looking for!' "
Indeed, with industry heavyweights acting in her movie, several exotic locations around the world finding place in Bollywood for the first time and with her indomitable spirit as a director that shone through even in Luck By Chance, Zoya is all set to redefine the essence of love and friendship with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
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