Now, that was a fun visit

Khaleej Times is now a popular stopover for the Bollywood frontline and their visits have become a regular affair replete with some good talk and good fun. They always leave promising to come back.

STAR POWER: (L to R) Emraan Hashmi, Suhail Galadari, Mahesh Bhatt and Esha Gupta at the KT office

So, it was no surprise when Indian cinema’s hottest new star Emraan Hashmi and debutante actress Esha Gupta, along with producer Mahesh Bhatt, stopped by to promote their latest film, Jannat 2 and share a few moments with our friendly group.

Received warmly by Suhail Abdul Latif Galadari, Director of Galadari Brothers and the City Times team, the stars spent a delightful hour getting a feel of the editorial system and chatting happily over a wide range of subjects. They also posed in front our ‘wall of fame’ as we call it, a compelling backdrop of our best covers, and were seen in animated conversation with Mr Galadari.

Emraan, who has soared to the top of the matinee mountain after being labelled Bollywood’s serial kisser seemed to live up to his “intense, broody” reputation before chilling out and enjoying the impromptu Q and A., even conceding his newly attained liquidity was being distilled into expensive cars.

Mahesh Bhatt, on the other hand, was his usual effusive, candid self from the word go and has lost none of his ‘in your face’ honesty.

As for Esha, who makes her Bollywood debut with the movie, the former Miss India International was more than happy to let the actor and producer take the lead, being every bit a beauty queen — demure, reserved and speaking only to the point. But that said, her presence added that extra splash of colour. Be sure you are going to hear a lot more about her.

In the crime thriller Jannat 2, Emraan Hashmi is playing, in his own words, a “small-time gun-runner” who rises through the ranks and falls in love with a girl named Jhanvi (Esha Gupta).

A staple of the Bhatt camp, the actor revealed that he would any day choose box office success over critical acclaim. But going by his latest track record (read: The Dirty Picture and Once Upon A Time in Mumbai…) the two may not be as mutually exclusive as the actor makes it out to be!

— Staff Reporter