The premiere of Drona proves a meeting point for arch enemies Shah Rukh Khan and the Bachchans. But was it just a case of hypocrisy on display
Are SRK and the Bachchans friends now? ìDon’t kid yourself,î says an industry insider. ìNothing changes, and never will. They dislike one another, as both are as unforgiving and unrelenting. But wiser sense prevails for the cunning SRK and the mature AB. They both realise that the media are making a circus of their enmity and both are insecure about it. Both know that there is a larger rival in the picture, none other than the singing king (Akshay Kumar), who is steadily making history with his success and hits. Both AB and SRK feel it is better to keep their options open.
îSRK has a tough enemy to handle -Salman Khan; so what better way than to make-up with Salman’s bÍte-noir?
The Bachchans who have realised their mistake in insulting the big guns of the industry (during the Abhi-Ash wedding) decided to personally call up each and every star that they had earlier annoyed for the premier of Drona. A very gutsy move because all it ended up doing was make a public spectacle of Abhishek. What with Ash flying down for the premier and the hype surrounding this pitiful role of Drona Jones (what was good friend and director, Goldie thinking when he created the super-hero character for Abhishek Bachchan?) Only a childhood buddy would lovingly mis-cast his friend in the title role of such a strange film. Abhi neither has the body nor the suppleness to play the part of a warrior even though he may be a good actor. An Akshay or Hrithik would have been ideal. Abhi was most uncomfortable in his sword fencing sequences which were so lack -lustre. His expressions throughout the film could only be described as ranging from grouchy to very grouchy!
It is a well-kept secret that this was one film that the Bachchans were banking on for establishing Abhishek as a super hero in his post-marriage phase. It is even rumoured that they had invested money in this project, otherwise why would they have thrown such a lavish premier and huge party?
SRK as usual played to the gallery by showing up with his entire family and behaving as if the cold war was a figment of the imagination and even loudly saying that the war between him and the Bachchans’ was media created!
Later that night, SRK invited his coterie and friends over to his mansion to have the last laugh and rip the film apart. They did not have to exert too much, as the next morning the media did it for them.