Man of the match: Rani Mukerji

There's indulgence and there's overkill. But when it stretches beyond that, it's simply an excessive fest of clichés. In that sense alone, Dil Bole Hadippa ,though not necessarily a bad film, suffers from too many déjà vu-evoking distractions to wholly work.

To begin with, there's Yash Raj Films's stock supply of Punjab .The open-terrace block house looks awfully familiar. Do Veer and Zaara still live here?

And pray, where have I seen those lush, green fields before? What do they grow, quizzes Shahid Kapoor to Sheryln Chopra in one scene. Who cares? They never really provide any food for thought anyway.

Then there's Ik Onkar humming incessantly in the backdrop. Perhaps Surinder Sahni and Taaniji plan to drop in? Also,if you thought you had seen the last of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Bachna Ae Haseeno , etc, etc) tributes, you got another thing coming.

I suggest girls try their hand at cricket: Rani Mukerji

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) She was not a cricket fanatic but after preparing for her role in the just released 'Dil Bole Hadippa!', Rani Mukerji has become a huge fan of the game. She not only wishes to go and watch it in the stadium, but also suggests that more girls should try their hand at the sport.

'It's a great sport to play... people say it's a gentleman's game but it is a ladies' game too because it is a lot of fun. I would in fact tell a lot of girls to try their hand in cricket,' Rani told IANS.

'I would also love to go and see a game now in the stadium because watching it there is much more exciting than watching it on TV. Now that I know the game, it's become pretty interesting for me to watch. Now I know there are so many ways to get out in the game other than what I knew of just a run out or a catch out.

'I wasn't into cricket at all. I would rarely watch a match if it was a very interesting one as I wasn't really educated in the game. When you don't know much about the game, you can't enjoy it,' Rani said.

She dons the garb of a Sikh in the romantic comedy to highlight a woman's aspirations for cricket. Playing the part involved 'rigorous training sessions' for Rani.

'I trained for six months in cricket and tried to learn it to the best of my ability because it was important for my character to know the game very well. I didn't even know how to hold the bat correctly. So for me, to start from there to hit the shot was satisfying.

Rani got cricket tips from SRK, moustache help from Aamir

New Delhi, Sep 16 Rani Mukerji disguises herself as an aspiring Sikh cricketer in the upcoming film 'Dil Bole Hadippa!'. And Bollywood's superstars were more than willing to help her get into the character's groove - while Shah Rukh Khan gave her cricketing tips, Aamir Khan helped her with wearing a moustache.

'Shah Rukh gave me a lot of tips on cricket and I was very happy to have him give me tips for my character in the movie,' Rani told reporters here.

Aamir, with whom Rani starred in 'Ghulam', too did his bit to help her don the garb of a Sikh.

'Aamir helped me with the moustache... I was shooting a song with Rakhi (Sawant) before I had the moustache on and he gave me tips on how I should put it with a little smile so that it doesn't hurt,' said the actress.

Rani was in the capital with her 'Dil Bole Hadippa!' co-star Shahid Kapoor at the Big Cinemas Odeon to promote the movie.

Produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films, it is directed by debutant Anurag Singh.

It also stars Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil and item girls Rakhi Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra.

'It is a commercially entertaining and audience-friendly film. Everyone will enjoy it whether it is with family, kids or friends,' said Shahid.

Shahid Kapoor: HADIPPA is a complete contrast to KAMINEY

Even though he has worked in films across varied genres, the lover boy image seems to be stuck around Shahid Kapoor, courtesy his recent successes like KISMAT KONNECTION, JAB WE MET and VIVAAH.
"Even when I was on the verge of signing KAMINEY, people discouraged me. Since on paper itself it sounded such a different film, I was advised that I should follow a conventional route and do more love stories. People felt that I was on a wrong path by signing on something experimental when I should have rather consolidated my image as a lover boy. I am glad I took a firm stand though because I sincerely believe that audiences today want a change", explains Shahid.

He isn't turning his back away from romantic films though.

"They will also continue for sure", he smiles, "Now DIL BOLE HADIPPA is a complete contrast to KAMINEY with a lot of 'bhangra-shangra' and other related stuff. See, at the end of the day, I do want to do different kind of work and find acceptance in all spaces. It's just that I am not willing to restrict myself to a particular genre, especially in the times when change is the order of the day. Thankfully, audiences have become much more receptive to you being seen in a different avatar."

No wonder, in weeks to come, DIL BOLE HADIPPA would be followed by CHANCE PE DANCE.

"It's all fun though crazy situation to be in", says Shahid, "DIL BOLE HADIPPA will release on 18th September and a day after the film's release, I leave for USA. Then soon after I would be back to promote Ken's CHANCE PE DANCE. Meanwhile I am shooting for Parmeet Sethi film with Anushka Sharma. I don't really have time to breathe though honestly, it's a happy problem to be a part of!"

Rani Mukherji steals the show at Toronto film festival

Rani Mukherji walked the red carpet just the way George Clooney and other Hollywood celebrities had done in recent days. But her entrance was far more spectacular than Clooney's.

Rani was at the gala for Dil Bole Hadippa that had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sunday. She was accompanied by over a dozen Punjabi Bhangra dancers.

Rani, wearing a gown, walked past over 300 fans. However, not everyone was pleased with her choice of gown. "Rani looks good in anything she wears," said Mary Allen a caucasian journalist who was wearing a sari. "I wore a sari for everytime I've seen Rani, in a movie, wearing a sari, I thought how gorgeous Indian women look wearing a sari."

Many fans waved signs that read, "Our Dil Bole Hadippa," "We love you Rani" and "Hadippa Forever."

Some fans had come expecting Shahid Kapoor for the event; but director Anurag Singh who also walked the red carpet said that Shahid was doing publicity for the film in India.

"Rani is so committed to this project that she flew into Toronto from London although she could give only a day and a half of her time." She left for London a few hours after the premiere.

"Toronto, I have heard, is a city full of people who love all kinds of movies," Rani said. "Yet our film is a masala, commercial film. And to be featured in as a gala event is a very big honour."

Out of the 21 gala movies, there are three from India. This is the first time so many Indian films have been featured in the gala. Apart from Dil Bole Hadippa, there are Cooking With Stella, produced by Toronto based Deepa Mehta and India's Ravi Chopra (BR Films) and What's Your Raashee?, is the concluding gala film of the festival.

"We are holding the premiere of the movie in Toronto even before it opens in India," director Singh said. "The film opens across the world this Friday. We knew we had made a very good masala film but we had no idea it could go to a major film festival."

Though Yash Raj Pictures' Kabul Express was shown at TIFF two years ago, it was not a gala event.

"Everyone at Yash Raj is excited that Dil Bole Hadippa is a gala event. When Cameron Bailey, co-director, TIFF, saw the film and invited and told us that it should be shown at the festival we were over-excited. Our confidence in the film became even stronger than ever before. Shahid and Rani are absolutely thrilled with this film. If Rani had more time, she would have stayed back in Toronto, meeting many of her fans."

In the past five years, TIFF has started showing extravaganzas like Bollywood movies along with austere arthouse fare. Given the fact Toronto has over 350,000 Bollywood fans, from India to Afghanistan, Dubai to Ethiopia, and Morocco to Russia , Indian stars at the festival are a big draw in the city.

A Nigerian cab driver, in Toronto, who waited 2 hours to get a glimpse of Rani said, "We see Indian stars many times in a year but they are busy shooting. They hardly look around them and smile because they are busy with their work. At the gala event, everyone dresses beautifully and everyone smiles. And when Rani smiles, I feel I'm in heaven."

Work it out like Rani

Not content with shedding all those excess kilos and getting into super shape for her role of a cricketer in 'Dil Bole Hadippa', actress Rani Mukherjee is now also trying to entice co star Shahid to take up yoga. This is something which even his former girlfriend Kareena Kapoor could not get him into.

Rani Doles Out Fitness Tips

Not content with shedding all those excess kilos and getting into super shape for her role of a cricketer in 'Dil Bole Hadippa', actress Rani Mukherjee is now also trying to entice co star Shahid to take up yoga. This is something which even his former girlfriend Kareena Kapoor could not get him into.

Apparently, Rani has gone even a step further and even offered to lend her trainer to the actor. Incidentally, Rani's trainer trained Kareena during the Tashan days, when the actress was trying to acquire her size zero figure. Talk of connections. Meanwhile, Shahid is believed to be quite open to the offer of going the yoga way as he is looking for something which is more natural and holistic. Of course, the transformation in Rani is proof enough of that. The actress seems to have gambled heavily in 'Dil Bole Hadippa'. She has done things that she never needed to do in career before, like getting into a bikini. In her time, Rani never needed to resort to all that. But times have changed and it is Rani who needs to lure in the audiences. And so the actress has done everything that she can to match up with today's girls. One hopes for her sake that the film works. It has lots going for it and the icing on the cake should be the presence of Shahid, who is on an all time high after the success of 'Kaminey'. Maybe, Rani's gesture of lending her trainer is just her way of saying 'thank you' to the young actor.