"I am no Shah Rukh, so why shy away from publicity" - Jackky Bhagnani 
By Joginder Tuteja, March 5, 2009 - 11:57 IST
"We are in an entertainment industry and we have a product to sell. If that means cashing in on the current hysteria around Slumdog Millionaire and it's kids then why shy away from that", says Jackky in a candid conversation as he responds to the query around the sudden shoot that happened Tuesday night for his debut film Kal Kissne Dekha.
"In any case it isn't irrelevant to the plot. My character of Nihal Singh has the power of looking unto future. One day he visualizes a bomb ticking away in airport that is about to explode any moment. He rushes to the airport and prevents it from being blown away. This is when the Slumdog Millionaire kids too landed in Mumbai direct from the Academy awards. So it all fitted in, you know", details Jackky about the scene that has been canned.
The two kids who feature in the sequence are Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (youngest Saleem) and Rubina Ali (youngest Latika).
Isn't he worried that this sequence may well be termed as a publicity gimmick? "So let it be termed like that, its fine", smiles Jackky, "I am no Shah Rukh, so why to shy away from publicity? I am a newcomer and it would only help the film if audience relates to what they see on screen. We are merging real life with reel life here so it couldn't have been more apt."
He adds in a lighter vein, "In fact the audience is bound to acknowledge us for this idea. It is point in time, contemporary and relevant. Moreover, this only adds value to the film by bringing in a certain glamour quotient as well. While we were looking at so many major actors to be shooting for a cameo in the film [Sanjay Dutt has already shot a portion though there is a possibility of Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Abhishek Bachchan being roped in as well], what's the harm in getting the cameos from Azharuddin and Rubina? Come on, they are international celebrities today."
Talking about the shooting experience at the airport, Jackky reveals that it was quite exciting yet strenuous. "Getting a permission to shoot in an airport is not an easy task, especially in the current times. Moreover, the (blast) sequence required a mood of chaos being built up. Since we were shooting at a real location, we had to make sure that the general public wasn't disturbed. We wrapped up the shooting though in 2-3 hours and are happy with the final results", says Jackky.
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