Mumbai, Dec. 4 -- What's with the stars at Marrakech
Boman's all-night birthday party
Boman Irani, who turned 53 on Sunday (December 2), celebrated his birthday with his Bollywood friends at a hotel in Marrakech on Saturday night. He partied till 6 in the
morning with Hrithik and Sussanne Roshan, Arjun Rampal and wife Mehr Jesia, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, among others. Later, he and his wife had dinner with some friends at a popular French restaurant in the city. Hrithik and Arjun left for Mumbai on Sunday morning, so they couldn't make it for the dinner.
Sridevi not well
Sridevi, who is in Marrakech with her husband Boney Kapoor, is apparently not too well. But she still flew down for the festival to support her film, English Vinglish, being screened here. "I couldn't miss such a big event," she said. On Sunday, despite the Indian and foreign press trying to speak to her, she kept herself away from public appearances.
Karan introduces the students
Karan Johar's recent directorial venture, Student of The Year, was screened at the main square. With the film only starring newcomers, the locals had no idea who Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt were. So before the film started, Karan introduced the cast to the viewers. "I was surprised to see the (large) crowd. They weren't there for us; they had come to see Karan Johar," says Varun Dhawan. Varun was surprised with the locals' enthusiasm about Indian cinema; they stood and watched the whole film at the square. "There were no seating arrangements. I couldn't believe my eyes," said Varun.
A film set in Marrakech?
Bollywood seems mighty impressed with Morocco, especially its trendy capital, Marrakech. So don't be surprised if you see a few filmmakers announce projects set in this city soon. At the festival, Amitabh Bachchan said, "There are producers, directors and other members of the fraternity here. I am sure they are figuring out the possibility in this region, and am hopeful that they will come and shoot here." Karan Johar added, "I am on the job already. While I'm here, I will try and explore (the city) and make the best of this opportunity." The only Bollywood film in recent memory to be shot here partially is Saif Ali Khan's Agent Vinod.
The writer is at the Marrakech Film Festival by invitation
Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.