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Release dates re-shuffled again

By Taran Adarsh, June 23, 2009 - 08:38 IST


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The release dates have been re-shuffled, yet again. The producers and distributors worked out the release schedule of forthcoming films, soon after the strike was called off. But with more and more films jumping in the fray, the producers and distributors met over the weekend and decided to re-work on the release schedule.

The new release dates of all major films are as follows...
26 June: NEW YORK
3 July: KAMBAKKHT ISHQ
10 July: SHORTKUT
17 July: JASHNN
24 July: LUCK
31 July: LOVE AAJ KAL
7 August: AGYAAT
14 August: KAMINEY and LIFE PARTNER
21 August to 11 September [Ramzan]: Any film can come in this period
18 September: WANTED and DIL BOLE HADIPPA
25 September: WHAT'S YOUR RAASHEE?
2 October: WAKE UP SID and DO KNOT DISTURB
9 October [pre-Diwali week]: No major release yet
16 October [Diwali]: BLUE, ALADIN and MAIN AUR MRS. KHANNA
23 October: No major release yet
30 October: LONDON DREAMS
6 November: AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI
13 November: TUM MILE
20 November: No major release yet
27 November: DE DHAN DHANA DHAN

Salman Khan saves LONDON DREAMS shoot, borrows costume!! [08 Sep 2009]

Salman Khan, the handsome hunk of bollywood who plays lead in upcoming mega budget flick ‘London Dreams’ opposite sizzling hot sexy siren of Southern film industry Asin, saved the Punjab spell of the shooting by borrowing his dress from a local band party.

Sources close to director Vipul Shah say that the particular sequence required Salman Khan to play the member of an Indian wedding band and the shooting was scheduled in Punjab. Everything was ready on the set and even Salman Khan reported on time.

However, suddenly production guys informed Vipul that the dress, which Salman was supposed to wear for the scene, had not arrived on the sets and would take at least two more days. Director-producer Vipul Shah was in a tight spot as Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan could not be expected to wait for two days to shoot the sequence.

In fact, Salman Khan had given only two days to wrap up the shooting spell of ‘London Dreams’ in the Punjab. After that Salman was supposed to fly out of Punjab for the shooting of his another upcoming flick ‘Veer’. In ‘Veer’ Salman essays the character of an eighteenth- century warrior.

However, when Salman Khan came to know of the dress fiasco, he decided to take control of the situation and enquired about the location and addresses of some local traditional Indian wedding bands in the vicinity. Soon after Sallubhai contacted the owners of these band parties and requested them to help him out of the tight spot.

The band owners were more than pleased to help Salman Khan out of the mess. Now, the problem was Salman Khan’s physical measurement and size. Finally, a suitable dress, fitting Salman’s physique, was found. Salman approved of the red band dress and shot the required sequence wearing that local costume.

‘London Dreams’ is a mega budget flick wherein Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan play the lead. They are friends in the film, who went to London to make it big in the music industry, but luck was not favoring them. Asin, the southern sensation who made her bollywood debut with Aamir Khan’s ‘Ghajini’, plays female lead opposite Salman Khan.

Recently, there was buzz that the first promos of ‘London Dreams’ had only Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan in it, thereby sidelining the presence of Asin. The gorgeous actress was said to be furious with producer-director Vipul Shah for shabbily treating her in the flick, which is only second film of hers after ‘Ghajini’.

However, sources close to Vipul Shah say that Asin could not be given much importance in the promos of the flick as the story concentrated mainly on the friendship aspect of Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. As the heroine’s role was secondary to bollywood hunks, it was natural that the promos, too, would focus on them.

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Salman Khan's costume drama

Mumbai: Salman Khan and the film-makers of London Dreams were in for a rude shock while shooting in Punjab recently when they realised that Salman's costumes had not reached the sets. In the particular scene, Salman was playing a member of a Indian wedding band. He had squeezed a few days out for the film.

Salman Khan in the red costume with Ajay DevganTo their utter discomfort, the production team found out that the costumes would not reach Punjab while Salman is there. This meant that he would not be able to shoot those scenes and the schedule would go haywire resulting in major losses for Vipul Shah, the producer and director.

However, Salman came to the film-maker's rescue. A source says, "Salman had allotted just a couple of days to Vipul to wrap up the Punjab schedule because he had to shoot for Veer after that. By the time the dresses would have arrived, Salman would have left Punjab. The production team told him about the problem and he stepped forward to bail them out. He asked the production team to get him addresses of traditional Indian bands located nearby. After he got the list, he arranged for cars to head to those places. Everybody was wondering what he was up to."
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The insider adds, "Salman visited the band offices and took them by surprise when he told them that he wanted to borrow one uniform from them. He gave them his measurements.

The locals were more than willing to help him out. After a frantic search, Salman got his size and hurried back to the sets. The film-makers were relieved that they could resume shooting and thanked Salman."

Vipul says, "On the day of the shoot we approached a few bands and picked up the dress for Salman. We had some other dresses in mind, but he saw the red dress worn by a band member and thought it would work wonders for his character."

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When Salman, Ajay, Asin kept all commitments on hold to shoot for Vipul

By Subhash K. Jha, September 7, 2009 - 14:04 IST

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Vipul Shah's decision to shoot the last song of London Dreams in Bhandup in a makeshift maidaan representing a rock stadium turned out to be quite traumatic.

To begin the woes in the middle, when Salman's dog passed away during the shooting of the song, the actor broke down and wept like a baby. But he didn't cancel the shooting.

Nonetheless this could qualify as the most difficult climactic song ever shot. Vipul Shah recently shot the final rock - concert number for London Dreams in Bhandup near Mumbai with 5,000 junior artistes cheering Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Asin, Ranvijay and Aditya Roy Kapoor who play members of a music band.

Says Vipul, "We were stuck for the last song because of the rains. And then because of swine flu we weren't allowed to shoot in crowds. But I had no choice. The song couldn't be delayed."

Remo choreographed the song and the track was sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shankar Mahadevan.

Says Vipul, "We couldn't get the stars' fans to fill up the open-air auditorium-set for the very simple reason that in the earlier concert songs for London Dreams, we had seen how unruly the fans get when they see their favourite stars dancing in front of them."

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On top of all, the practical problems faced during the shooting of this massive song, the stars were all busy elsewhere. "Salman was shooting for 'Dus Ka Dum'. He requested them to postpone their shooting for two days. Ajay was supposed to start Priyadarshan's shooting on those days. He asked Priyan to push his dates forward. Asin was doing an endorsement down south. Ranvijay was shooting for another film in Delhi. He flew both days and flew back. And Aditya Roy Kapoor who was shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish also accommodated my song."

To compound Vipul's troubles Salman's dog died during the shooting. "I thought he would leave. But he continued shooting."

Though the experience of putting the climax song together turned out to be a nightmare, Vipul is undeterred. "I've relieved my non-core group of technicians for my film Action Replay from their duties for now. When we regroup and they're free to join us. Akshay and Aishwarya have promised the dates whenever we need them. If the actors are committed to a project, nothing can stop a film from reaching the winning post."

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Rain, swine flu play spoilsport for `London Dreams` song shooting

Updated on Monday, September 07, 2009, 18:04 IST

Mumbai: After making the entire film without any hiccups, it was a nightmare for Vipul Shah to shoot the climax song for Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan starrer `London

Dreams`, thanks to rains and swine flu in Maharashtra.

"We were stuck for the last
song because of the rains. And then because of swine flu, we weren`t allowed to shoot in crowds. But I had no choice. The song couldn`t be delayed."

Shah shot the final rock-concert number for `London Dreams` in Bhandup near Mumbai with 5,000 junior artistes cheering Salman, Ajay, Asin Thottumkal, Ranvijay and Aditya Roy Kapoor - they all play members of a music band.

Remo choreographed the song sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shankar Mahadevan.

"We couldn`t get the stars` fans to fill up the open air auditorium set for the very simple reason that in the earlier concert songs for `London Dreams` we had seen how unruly the fans get when they see their favourite stars dancing in front of them," he said.

On top of all the practical problems faced during the shooting of the song, the stars were all busy elsewhere.

"Salman was shooting for `Dus Ka Dum`. He requested them to postpone their shooting for two days. Ajay was supposed to start Priyadarshan`s shooting on those days. He asked Priyan to push his dates forward. Asin was doing an endorsement down south. Ranvijay was shooting for another film in Delhi. He flew both days and flew back. And Aditya, who was shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s `Guzaarish`, also accommodated my song."

To compound Shah`s troubles, Salman`s dog died during the shooting. "I thought he would leave. But he continued shooting."

Though the experience of putting the climax song together turned out to be a nightmare, Shah is undeterred.

"I`ve relieved my non-core group of technicians for my film `Action Replay` of their duties for now. When we regroup, they`re free to join us. Akshay and Aishwarya have promised the dates whenever we need them. If the actors commit to a project, nothing can stop a film from reaching the winning post," he said.

IANS

London Dreams wraps up with song on Salman and Asin

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The shooting of Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s London Dreams is over. The last leg of the shoot saw a song being filmed on Salman Khan and Asin. Interestingly, during the London schedule, Salman ensured that the entire cast had a gala time after pack-up. The actor had got on board his chef from Mumbai, who would churn up the most delicious Indian dishes for the entire cast, including Rannvijay Singh and Brinda Parekh, who plays a negative character in the film.

As for the film’s London backdrop, it is a musical about two childhood friends–Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan– who dream of making it big in the music industry. London Dreams is the name of their band and Asin is also part of the team. And since the story is about a rock band, the film is shot in pubs and bars, some outdoor locations like roads and parks, and a few stadiums in London including Wembley. Parts of the film have also been shot in Paris near the Eiffel Tower; Chandigarh and in Karjat where a replica of a London stadium was erected. The film is scheduled for an October 30 release.

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Salman, Devgan, Asin make music!

Vipul Shah’s decision to shoot the last song of London Dreams in Bhandup in a makeshift maidaan representing a rock stadium turned out to be quite traumatic. [/COLOR][/I][/B]

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To begin the woes in the middle, when Salman’s dog passed away during the shooting of the song the actor broke down and wept like a baby. But he didn’t cancel the shooting.

Nonetheless, this could qualify as the most difficult climactic song ever shot. Vipul Shah recently shot the final rock–concert number for London Dreams in Bhandup near Mumbai with 5,000 junior artistes cheering Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Asin, Ranvijay and Aditya Roy Kapoor who play members of a music band.

Says Vipul, “We were stuck for the last song because of the rains. And then because of swine flu we weren’t allowed to shoot in crowds. But I had no choice. The song couldn’t be delayed.”

Remo choreographed the song and the track was sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shankar Mahadevan.

Says Vipul, “We couldn’t get the stars’ fans to fill up the open-air auditorium-set for the very simple reason that in the earlier concert songs for London Dreams we had seen how unruly the fans get when they see their favourite stars dancing in front of them.”

On top of all the practical problems faced during the shooting of this massive song, the stars were all busy elsewhere. “Salman was shooting for Dus Ka Dum. He requested them to postpone their shooting for two days. Ajay was supposed to start Priyadarshan’s shooting on those days. He asked Priyan to push his dates forward. Asin was doing an endorsement down south. Ranvijay was shooting for another film in Delhi. He flew both days and flew back. And Aditya Roy Kapoor, who was shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, also accommodated my song.”

To compound Vipul’s troubles, Salman’s dog died during the shooting. “I thought he would leave. But he continued shooting.”

Though the experience of putting the climax song together turned out to be a nightmare Vipul is undeterred. “I’ve relieved my non-core group of technicians for my film Action Replay from their duties for now. When we regroup, they’re free to join us. Akshay and Aishwarya have promised the dates whenever we need them. If the actors are committed to a project nothing can stop a film from reaching the winning post.”

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Salman gets 3-lakh Cavalli jacket

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Salman Khan was obsessed with a designer jacket while shooting for London Dreams; doting producer Vipul Shah gifted him the jacket worth Rs 3 lakh.

Salman Khan’s obsession with a designer jacket surprised his stylists and producer while shooting for London Dreams. The Roberto Cavalli jacket caught Salman’s fancy to such an extent that he sported it even when he wasn’t shooting. Finally, producer Vipul Shah felt compelled to gift the star the jacket worth Rs 3 lakh.

Our source, who was witness to Salman’s obsessive streak, revealed, “Salman was wearing a jacket during one of the sequences in the film. The shoot got over and Salman had to go for a change. The filmmakers were surprised when he insisted on wearing the jacket again in portions that did not require him to wear it. The designers had no choice but to relent to his demand.”

The creation from Cavalli seemed to have floored the hunk as he continued to wear it even when he wasn’t shooting. The source adds, “Salman’s obsession stemmed from the fact that the jacket was one of a kind and he really wanted to wear it as much as he could. Even during the break between the shots, the actor would be seen wearing the jacket.”

Producer of the film, Vipul Shah, added, ‘Salman loves stylish clothes and when he went shopping and picked up this piece , his obsession with the jacket was quite palpable. He would wear it off the sets too, much to the surprise of the crew members.”

Vipul Shah, sensing Salman’s fixation and out of love for the star, gifted the rare creation worth Rs 3 lakh to him. He concluded, “It is a small gift from me to Salman.”

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Vipul Shah halts all publicity for Salman Khan

By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Oct 2 (IANS) Is this a case of a Salman Khan overkill? Director Vipul Shah doesn’t think so, but he has put a halt to all publicity involving the star for his forthcoming release “London Dreams” until “Main Aurr Mrs Khanna” is released Oct 16.

“There’s no point in a publicity overlap. I don’t want audiences to be confused or annoyed by repeated and overlapping images of Salman’s films,” Shah told IANS.

The Salman season has begun full-swing. After the whopping “Wanted”, it is Salman’s home production “Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna” on Oct 16 followed by Vipul Shah’s “London Dreams” on Oct 30.

“Fortunately, for me both ‘Wanted’ and ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna’ are very different from my film, and from one another. However, it’s finally the same Salman. So I’d rather not waste his publicity dates or my efforts to get the film noticed,” he said.

Shah is looking at a new strategy to promote his film.

“I’m waiting and observing the way ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna’ is being promoted. My challenge is to now present Salman differently from the way he was presented for ‘Wanted’ and ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna’.”

One of the ideas is to host a round of rock concerts in selected cities featuring Salman, Ajay Devgan and Asin Thottumkal since the film is about a music band. But at the moment Shah is tight-lipped on this.

“It’s never wise to reveal your strategy. You never know who might decide to use it before you do,” he explained.

Another problem has crept up on “London Dreams”. Sujoy Ghosh’s fantasy “Aladin” has been advanced from Nov 13 to Oct 30.

“I had gone ahead and planned an October 30 release with the producers’ guild’s assurance that there would be no other release. But now suddenly ‘Aladin’ has been advanced to the same Friday as ‘London Dreams’. I hope neither film suffers,” said Shah, keeping his fingers crossed.

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"I want to present Salman differently for London Dreams" - Vipul Shah

By Subhash K. Jha, October 2, 2009 - 11:51 IST

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Vipul Shah's London Dreams is surely turning out to be one of his most challenging films for him. First there is the Salman spree of 3 back-to-back releases to be dealt with. Now, Vipul Shah has another biggie dropping into the same space on Friday as his London Dreams.

As of now Vipul has stopped all Salman-centric publicity for London Dreams.

The Salman season has begun full-swing. After the whopping Wanted, it is Salman's home production Main Aurr Mrs Khanna on October 16, followed by Vipul Shah's London Dreams on October 30.

Is this a case of Salman overkill? Vipul doesn't think so. But he has put a halt to all publicity involving Salman for London Dreams until Main Aurr Mrs Khanna is released on October 16.

"There's no point in a publicity overlap. I don't want audiences to be confused or annoyed by repeated and overlapping images of Salman's films. Fortunately for me, both Wanted and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna are very different from my film, and from one another. However, it's finally the same Salman. So, I'd rather not waste his publicity dates or my efforts to get the film noticed."

All publicity involving Salman in London Dreams has come to a halt. And Vipul is looking at a new strategy to promote his film. "I'm waiting and observing the way Main Aurr Mrs Khanna is being promoted. My challenge is to now present Salman differently from the way he was presented for Wanted and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna."

One of the ideas is to host a round of rock concerts in selected cities featuring Salman, Ajay Devgn and Asin since the film is about a music band.

But at the moment Vipul is tightlipped on this. "It's never wise to reveal your strategy. You never know who might decide to use it before you do."

Another problem has crept up on London Dreams from the back. Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy Aladin has been pre-poned from 13 November to 30 October.

"I had gone ahead and planned an October 30 release with the producers' guild's assurance that there would be no other release. But now suddenly Aladin has been pre-poned to the same Friday as London Dreams. I hope neither of the films suffer," Vipul has his fingers crossed.

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Bonding over food

TNN 4 October 2009, 12:00am IST

A family that eats together, stays together.

Well, in this case, the film cast that eats (a lot!) together, bonds together! We’re talking about London Dreams, where the choicest food items were made available to the cast and crew on the sets.

And from the looks of it, it looked like everyone on the sets were hearty eaters! What was endearing was that everyone, from the spot boy to the stars, used to eat in the same cafeteria. In London, even the stars would stand in a queue for the food. But it was in Punjab that both Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan couldn’t stop enjoying the yummy food. While shooting a scene at a dhaba, the actors kept on eating and kept placing orders for kali dal, gobi aloo, paneer makhani and tandoori rotis.

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Salman, Aamir similar as people, differ in working style: Asin

By Ruchika Kher, New Delhi, Oct 4 :

After working with Aamir Khan in her Bollywood debut "Ghajini", southern beauty Asin will now be seen with Salman Khan in "London Dreams". She says while the two superstars are very similar as people, their working styles are poles apart.

"As people, there are a lot of similarities between Aamir and Salman. Both are extremely warm, very friendly and down to earth. Not at all pretentious," Asin told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

"As actors their working styles are quite different. Like for example when Aamir used to come on the sets to shoot, he used to sit with the cast and crew and used to discuss the scene, give his ideas and his inputs; he used to be quite involved," the 23-year-old said.

"On the other hand, Salman used to come on the sets, shoot for the scene and leave. There used to be no give and take of ideas; so it used to seem very spontaneous. However, I am sure in his mind he must be knowing exactly what he has to do and how he has to do it," she added.

The actress, who was brought up in Kerala and debuted in Sathyan Anthikad's Malayalam film "Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka" in 2001, created a mark in the Hindi film industry with "Ghajini" in 2008.

She is ready with her second Bollywood venture "London Dreams" that stars Ajay Devgan along with Salman.

Asked if she was nervous being in the same frame as two such experienced actors, Asin said she neither felt nervous nor intimidated.

"When I go on the sets, I forget all my inhibitions. When I was working with Ajay and Salman, I didn't feel any pressure, maybe because they themselves did not behave like stars and threw no starry tantrums.

"When you work with such dedicated actors, you also do your job well and try to learn whatever you can. But there was no intimidation... I was not scared or anything to work with them. They are experienced but also make you feel very comfortable," Asin said.

"London Dreams", slated to release Oct 30, tells the story of two childhood friends who dream about making it big in the music industry and start a band. Asin, who is a dancer in the band, is the love interest of both friends.

So what made her sign the film?

"When the film was offered to me, I was keen to do it because I had worked with a star like Aamir in my first Hindi venture and in this one, there were two stars; so that was a 'double dhamaka' .

"Apart from that I loved my character Priya, which is quite different from my earlier role, and also a filmmaker like Vipul Shah is making the film. All these factors made me say yes," Asin said.

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Producer gets threat calls over song
Bharati Dubey, TNN 5 October 2009, 02:07am IST

MUMBAI: Producer-director Vipul Shah has been receiving threat calls allegedly from a right-wing Hindu organisation asking him to delete the Hanuman
Chalisa part from Barso Re, a song from his forthcoming film, London Dreams.

Shah said he has spoken to some of his friends in the police force. However, no official complaint has been lodged, he added. JCP (crime), Rakesh Maria, said the police were verifying facts related to the threat calls.

"The song is an important sequence in the film. I cannot remove it,'' Shah said.

The censor board had felt that the song could hurt the sentiments of a section of the society and asked Shah to delete it. The board referred the matter to the revising committee, which agreed with the board and referred the case to the censor board tribunal. The tribunal cleared the song with minor changes.

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I never felt intimidated by either Ajay Devgn or Salman Khan" - Asin

By Devansh Patel, October 7, 2009 - 14:01 IST

Same time last year, Vipul Shah with his entire cast and crew was busy filming a song from his yet another ambitious film, London Dreams. Jimmy jibs operators, steadicam operator, the choreographer having a word with Vipul, Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan in their shady tents trying to escape the unusually surprising London heat on a busy Sunday London Bridge location. Then I spot her. She looked a loner. I dream about London and her. Me and her walking hand in hand besides the quiet waters of the river Thames. Here's the thing: She is clad in stretchy skin-tight black from neck to ankle, wearing shoes that blend the architectural with the glossy and ephemeral. Her legs are coyly folded underneath her body. Her long hair is tightly pulled back from her face, which is expertly made up to conquer tiredness and appear fresh. Her skin glows with success. There is no hint of any dubious celebrity tightening or enhancing around the eyes, nose, ears and mouth. Her figure implies that a certain amount of almost surreal attention has been paid to maintaining that body. She ain't the celebrity defined by cliched magazine covers, glamorous videos and spiteful internet gossip. She is as real as it gets after your wishful dream comes true. It's just that mine didn't. UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent Devansh Patel gets dreamy about Asin in London, and maybe that's the reason she got a comfortable seat all to herself. Then I hear someone say, "Excuse me dreamer". But here's a dream come true all the way from the receiver end of the telephone...Asin dreams about London, her filming days, her shopping spree, her food habits and hopes her second dream comes true - she hopes it's her second blockbuster hit after Ghajini. All the way from London, here's Asin, my dream girl!

Vipul Shah likes to play a lot with cultures, emotions, sentiments. Is London Dreams any different?
No. London Dreams isn't different from any other Vipul Shah film except that it's a musically inclined film. Yes, you're right. Vipul likes to play with emotions and I wanted myself to get into a project, a film, which is like that and kind of different from Ghajini. I wanted to do a commercial Bollywood film and London Dreams is much bigger in scale than my previous outing.

The first theatrical promo of London Dreams reminded a lot of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam where both Ajay and Salman acted together.
(laughs) There is a parallel there now. There is a lot of drama and emotions like the film you've just mentioned and the theatrical promo reveals that too. I don't think one will be thinking of a Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam when you see London Dreams, except for the fact that both Ajay and Salman are again together. People should take Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam out of their minds and go and watch our film.

Ajay is a prankster, we all know that and Salman not far behind. How many times did they pull your leg?
Seriously, never. Yes, they were trying to make a plan for a prank on me and also tried to work it out in London while we were filming. It just happened once. On the sets is always a fun filled atmosphere when you're working with pranksters like Ajay and Salman. I'm sure both had to think of something even more devious to try and make a 'bakra' out of me. I did wish them luck for a better next time but nothing happened

"I don't think one will be thinking of a Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam when you see London Dreams"

Is London Dreams an out and out musical journey? Last year same time, Rock On created quite a stir in the industry too.
Even though the premise of the film is related to music, concerts and performances, I basically don't think it moves in the similar path as Rock On did. I want people to go and see London Dreams and figure out themselves whether they find any similarity between Rock On and London Dreams.

Second film and already worked with the three big and best actors of our industry - Aamir, Salman and Ajay. How mature and experienced have you got today?
I think I mature with every shot that I give and every film that I complete. Working with actors who've got so much experience behind them is a boon. You don't consciously think about it but in your subconsciousness, you do think about it. I really come with a clean mind and do not come with a certain image of every different people I'm going to be working with, whether be it media created or public perception. I'd like to get into a person from my own personal experience. I never felt intimidated with either Aamir, Ajay or Salman because when you're working with seniors like them, it is they who create a good atmosphere and they did just that. They never had starry ego problems or a star power syndrome.

"I never felt intimidated with either Aamir, Ajay or Salman "

Did you ever dream of going to London to shoot a film?
It wasn't my dream to shoot in London but the shoot in London did become a dream. For sure, this has been the best shooting experience of my life, whether the film is a hit or not. I do cherish my moments of working in this beautiful city. Most of the film was shot in London. There was never an instance where each actor would retire to their respective vanity vans and stay there till the next shot was ready. We all used to hang out together, we would talk about our experiences throughout our lives, all the films that we've done, have stories to share, jokes to crack and pull each others leg. The fact that all of it happened in London makes it even more special.

I've never given a compliment like what I'm going to give to any actor. This one goes to you - You're the only actor I've seen on-screen who looks so damn beautiful when you cry.
Oh! (laughs). Wow! That is quite a compliment I must say. Thank you so much and let me grab this compliment before anyone else does (laughs). I am not a very conscious actor as in terms of look or probably as much as my contemporaries are. I am not the one who constantly gives a shot and checks the monitor. I let the director 'ok' my shot. It's nice to hear from your director when he says that you look good in the shot. But it's equally nice to hear that I look beautiful when I cry from critics like you.

What about your shopping spree and junk food experiences of London?
(laughs) Eating experience and that too junk food was not much because I had to keep an eye on whatever I was eating because I had to work towards the look of Priya, the character I'm playing in London Dreams. Not only me, but everybody on the sets were food conscious, Ajay and Salman included. Both had to look into their fitness regime quite a lot as they were working towards building their bodies. Ajay had to work out extra as he had to remove his shirt too. Everybody was into diet food. The only thing we consumed quite a lot was coffee as it was quite freezing while we were shooting. As far as shopping is concerned, it's a very put-together look for Priya. Me and Ashley Rebello, the stylist for our film went out shopping when we got free time from the sets. Forget the branded stores, we shopped from the streets too. I will not say that I did not shop from the branded ones. So here it is - Harrods, Topshop, Selfridges, etc. We did shopping not for me, but to create the look for Priya.

The name London is really lucky for Vipul. His last outing Namastey London was a huge success worldwide. The time has come to be second time lucky?
I hope so because and I pray because it's not just the second time for Vipul, it's my second film too. So we both hope our dreams to come true (laughs). The film has shaped up quite well and I completely trust Vipul when it comes to understanding the Indians in London and the whole scenario out there. He taps into a lot like the way people live in London, their relationships, their dreams, etc.

"I completely trust Vipul when it comes to understanding the Indians in London"

This sure must be your dream come true - to shoot a film in the world famous Wembley Stadium.
Yes it was. Oh my God! I haven't been a part of any live concerts at Wembley Stadium but it was a dream come true. We did shoot for a day in Wembley however, the major rock concert in the film was shot in Mumbai by building the sets. But the scenes leading to the song and after that were shot in Wembley. I am a music person, yes. I would love to be a part of live concerts. Although Priya is an exaggerated version of certain traits of my personalities. She has got these two aspects to her personality. One, she is very conservative, traditional girl who is born to a conservative South Indian family. She wants to see herself in the field of music and dance. At home she is traditional but when she steps out, she becomes a rock chic when she joins this band called 'London Dreams'. I have a similar passion which is in Priya.

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!Salman and Ajay together after 10 years

Both Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan have their individual movie releases in the coming weeks but Vipul Shah's magnum opus London Dreams will see the two stars reuniting on the big screen after a decade!

Friendship, betrayal mark London Dreams


Last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) Ajay and Salman never got cast together till London Dreams, in which they play music aficionados in a London-based rock band.
"I never cast them because I wanted to repeat the Hum Dil... magic, says director Vipul Shah.


Asin's become the rocker babe!

"In fact, it didn't even occur to me that the two hadn't been together in a film since. I wanted Ajay for his intensity and Salman for his madness and after I cast them, someone pointed out the casting coup of sorts. Also, not many know that Salman and Ajay are great friends in real life and have immense respect for each other. They aren't very overt about it but they share amazing vibes," added the director.

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