Confusion mars interaction

When 9/11 struck New York out of the blue, there was outrage across the world. At the Ground Zero of the tragedy, the response was muted and sombre. But Bollywood, which saw in 9/11 just another opportunity on cynically fleshing out a script, appears to have failed to pick up this thread of dignity that greeted a monumental calamity.

At a press conference in the City to promote New York, Bollywood’s latest take on 9/11, there was confusion, crassness and confrontation. What was billed to be a serious interaction between the media and the starcast, was marred by the cacophony of the fans, who should not have been allowed in what was an exclusive media presentation. Though the star cast fairly put up with all the cacophony, the media had to take the brunt of the nonsense that the fans created.

Director Kabir Khan opened the meet by putting what New York is in a context: A tale of three friends whose bonds tighten amidst racial and religious discrimination. John Abraham observed that he was rather shocked to learn that educated and well-informed people wore prejudices on their sleeve.

Neil Nitin Mukesh said he was feeling high because he was associated with such a  strong subject and a theme that blend perfectly well in today’s time.

“Events like 9/11 changed the way we look at the world and the way we perceive the happenings around us. I studied the Quran, researched on the subject of terrorism, Jihad and even women. The story is an unbiased view post 9/11,” John said. 

When asked about his nude scene, he said, “If the main issue here is that I appeared in the nude in one of the scenes and that have hogged all attention then I have failed as an actor. Watch the movie and you will know that the nudeness was for a cause not to get undue publicity and attention.”

Katrina said that she thoroughly enjoyed working on a film that was truly challenging. At the end of the shoot, she felt her grasp of the subject had matured, she added without forgetting. But the trio’s fans were dead determined to spoil the party. Screaming, hooting and yelling, they made a mess of the occasion. Actually they cannot be blamed, as a huge hoarding outside the venue had invited the hoi polloi for the tete-a-tete with their favourite stars. The cops, who had been summoned in advance, too failed to ensure a semblance of sanity in the press room.