And both, the Hollywood star Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone, pretty much skipped their own film 'xXx: Return Of Xander Cage' premiere's after-party!
Vin Diesel
Mumbai used to once take pride in its elaborate movie premieres. At some point they just stopped taking place. And we don’t mean the quiet sorts held in Andheri multiplexes with snacks, and wine, followed by screenings. Of which there are one too many. But the premiere of 'xXx: Return Of Xander Cage', Bollywood star Deepika Padukone’s Hollywood debut, held at Lower Parel’s Phoenix mall on Thursday, with crowds jostling behind barricades at all three entrances to the multiplex, the red-carpet starting from the end of the parking lot, cameras flashing, sound-bytes galore, invitees dressed in their best, gave a fair glimpse of the ‘proper’ film premieres from back in the day.
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Deepika Padukone
The sort of starry nights held in cinemas like Minerva, Metro or Maratha Mandir that would cause traffic jams, and a minor stampede. There was enough pandemonium to merit that description. Richa Chadha, we’re told, got pushed out of the red-carpet.
Vin Diesel had especially flown down for the evening. Over-dressed in a fur-coat, he was being the gracious guest, happy to oblige junta with selfies, while filming the event on his phone. He showed up at the IMAX theatre before the screening, to say what foreigners often do, a big, “Namaste”, followed by praise for Dippy— “The audience has been stunned by her talent in every part of the globe we’ve gone.”
Ranveer Singh
Deepika, in turn, looking radiant in a golden dress, was glad this India premiere could work out. It was her idea. She thanked Vin, and the director DJ Caruso, and at some point, her parents, and her sister Anisha, also in the hall. Sadly no special love for beau Ranveer Singh, who entered the theatre separately, sat down like a good boy in the back-row, to watch the film that only started close to midnight. Which could be one of the reasons that by the time we got done with the movie -- it’s an immersive 3D experience, or a relentless assault on the senses, depending on how you see it -- everybody was happy to head home, rather than to the after-party at St Regis hotel. Having walked in early at Regis, we only spotted Jackie Shroff, all by himself, in an empty hall, sitting on the steps of the DJ’s podium!
But the real gig, with Vin, Deepika and their entourage, we’re told, was to take place at Shah Rukh Khan’s Bandra bungalow. This is where Vin would have got his real taste of the Bollywood frat, and maybe uttered his line from Fast And Furious 7, “I don’t have friends, I got family.”
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