‘I love Dubai more’

IT’S A TWO and a half hour wait in the middle of a rather cold desert camp before the Thank You stars decide to put in an appearance – the couple whose second wedding they were supposed to attend as part of their promotional tour in the city has been married off, the pundit has handed out his business cards to potential clients and the ceremonious fire has died out, embers and all.

So what was their excuse for being late? Said an apologetic Akshay Kumar, “Bobby is feeling sick, I really apologise with my folded hands for being late. He’s still on his way”. Understandable, we think. Till the younger Deol brother shows up towards the end of their stint in surprisingly ‘high spirits’, so much so that he has trouble walking straight.

However, City Times managed to catch up with the trio at the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel before the actor took “ill” for a quick chat.

On the Indo-Pak Cricket World Cup semi-final

Akshay: I think it’s going to be a tough match – on paper both are very strong teams. There’s a lot of pressure on India because it’s home ground and everyone’s watching; there’s quite a huge crowd at Mohali and everyone’s hoping they win.

Bobby: I’m going to stay on in Dubai to watch the match. India is the best, but on any given day good players of a good team can mess up. It’s unpredictable, but I have faith in them and let the best man win. And don’t ask Sonam this question because she doesn’t watch cricket (laughs).

Sonam: India is going to win! For sure - there are no two ways about it. But it’s nice that a lot of Pakistanis have come down to Mohali to watch the match as well.

On Dubai

Bobby: One of my best friends lives here, so I enjoy visiting. I love Dubai, I’m staying on here but these guys are leaving early tomorrow morning. Except for Sonam – she can’t get up early. Akshay can’t sleep late – he sleeps at about 9 - and Sonam can’t wake-up early, before 9. And since they’re leaving, maybe they don’t like Dubai as much as me. Plus I bring my wife here, so I’m helping the economy.

Akshay: I love Dubai more than Bobby because I’ve shot over seven films here and he (points a dramatic, accusing finger at Deol) has shot only one film here. I bring the entire unit, plus my wife!

Sonam: Dubai’s great, there’s a lot of shopping to do and there’s a lot to see. And since Bobby takes all his vacations here, I believe he definitely loves Dubai more than Akshay.

On shopping

Bobby: Don’t ask Sonam about shopping or we’ll be done for. Shopping is an understatement for what she does. If Dubai Mall were slight bigger then she’d be happier. Actually, Dubai Mall is too small for her. And forget the women’s clothing, she knows everything about the men’s clothing as well. The minute you walk in she knows which shirt is from which brand, where your pants and ties are from. God, she’s a bit loony that way!

Akshay: She knows each and every shop by heart; in fact, she has every single manager’s number stored on her phone. If I ask her to help me buy something for my wife, which I did during the shooting of Thank You, she’d say, ‘don’t worry Akshay, we won’t have to ship it in from London, I’ll find it right here’. And then she’d make one phone call and the bag would arrive in no time. This girl is amazing! And sometimes she’ll bring it up in the middle of the shot – I’ll be saying my lines and she’ll interrupt with, ‘did you buy what I recommended?’

Sonam: Okay I was helping you. If you hadn’t bought that bag for your wife you would have got into so much trouble.

On working with each other

Bobby: We had great fun on the sets, except for Akshay, he was really busy all the time. The three of us – me, Suniel (Shetty) and Irrfan (Khan) – we had a good time, we played cricket and bonded over that. Suniel’s 49^th birthday happened while we were there (we thought it was his 50^th) and Akshay and I threw a huge party for him. We also went to this sushi restaurant called Blowfish.

Sonam: Okay, that name just sounds bad (laughs). Suniel doesn’t look his age, and neither does my dad, who’s 54.

Akshay: He looks even younger than that. Seriously your dad has really maintained himself. But despite being very busy I did have a lot of fun working with these guys.

On Marriage

Akshay: We take the pheras (Hindu ritual of circling the fire seven times, each round representing an oath), but often we don’t understand what each of them means. The whole point is to understand the seven promises you make to each other. And honestly, it’s because of women in our lives that we are here.

Sonam: I’m too young. But I look at so many people around me who are happily married, including my parents, that it seems like a great adventure. So let’s see, one day, when I find the right guy, I’ll try it out.

On being single

Sonam: The best thing about being single is going out with my girls and checking out all the guys. But the nice thing about being single is you, your family and your friends come first.

Akshay: So you guys actually sit down and rate men when we walk by? That’s worrying. Men, I recommend you walk properly and don’t accidentally leave your zip open, because the women are looking at you. And according to Sonam good shoes and their smell are reflections of a man.

On ‘Thank You’

Akshay: The women are really going to enjoy watching this film. They are going to drag their husbands to watch it. And the men are going to try to run away from it. It’s a tribute to wives; in fact, it’s a must for all women, wives or otherwise. In fact, there’s a big premiere happening in India where only women are attending.