As you are reading this, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Despite negative reviews, his recent action thriller Bang Bang! is setting the box office on fire and the best part is that he didn’t even have to tire himself silly promoting the film across India and world-wide. Roshan shunned the latest fad, that sees celebrities promoting their film relentlessly across the globe with multiple interviews and public appearances in a day.
Instead, he enlisted his colleagues to do most of the hard work. A few weeks before his splashy action thriller hit theatres, Roshan dared the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh to take part in the #Bangbangdare on Twitter. tabloid! gives you a round-up of those who came out with flying colours and those who sank without a trace.
Star: Nargis Fakhri
Roshan’s challenge: “To d 1who actually stimulated my #bangbangdare idea, @NargisFakhri girl frm d hood, shoot a RAP in a style only u can! V want crazzy!Accept? [sic]”
How she owned it: Move over Yo Yo Honey Singh and give way to Nargis Fakhri. The former model and rising actress wore her attitude on her sleeve as she rapped away to glory. Looking rocker chic in black leather and a top hat, she rapped about her childhood, growing up in the Bronx and being her own person. Her anthem: don’t judge her until you know her. What’s not to love?
Star: Ranveer Singh
Roshan’s challenge: “To @RanveerOfficial my #bangbangdare get out of ur car n pose on d middle of any Main Street of mumbai fr your fans! Hahaha,bolo..accept??”
How he owned it: Trust Bollywood’s top brat Ranveer Singh to add a naughty twist to this seemingly simple dare. Singh wore a black latex suit and mask — just like Roshan in Krrish — and burst into a series of chest and hip thrusts on a busy street in Mumbai, dancing to the tune of Main Aisaa Kyun Hoon from Roshan’s film Lakshya. We loved the bemused look on the harried traffic constable’s face who just wanted Singh out of his face. Singh was impish, uninhibited and crazy — just the way we hope all our heroes would be. Catch it here.
Star: Arjun Kapoor
Roshan’s challenge: “2days #bangbangdare goes 2 1 of d most natural talent we hv!Dats u @arjunk26 use 54321 in ANY iconic style frm cinema!tough 1! DO U ACCEPT?”
How he owned it: It’s not easy to replicate the countdown dialogue from the Bang Bang! teaser. But Arjun Kapoor chose to imitate Roshan’s mentally challenged role in extra-terrestrial drama Koi … Mil Gaya, asking innocently as to why the countdown didn’t extend to six since Roshan has an extra thumb in real life. Some may argue that it’s crass to make fun of a person’s physical imperfections, but don’t hate yourself if you find yourself smiling. It’s politically incorrect, but since everything else about Roshan is perfect, the six-thumb joke doesn’t bite as much. See it here.
Star: Aamir Khan
Roshan’s challenge: “By POPULAR DEMAND! today’s #bangbangdare goes 2 d man himself THE PK! @aamir_khan! Your dare is -” PUT THE TRANSISTOR DOWN!!”
How he tackled it: From the man who appeared nude except for a strategically placed vintage transistor (to promote his next film PK), we expected a lot more. In the video featuring his response, Khan even warns Roshan that he will be responsible for the backlash stemming from the dare. It was, however, anti-climactic. A fully-clothed Khan (boo) just removed the transistor that he had hung on his shoulder and placed it on the ground. He was being cheeky, but we aren’t impressed.
Star: Shraddha Kapoor
Roshan’s challenge: “#bangbangdare 4 @ShraddhaKapoor readjusted on demand! render a song sans make up! Real beauty AUDIO And VISUAL!! Can’t ask 4 more! ACCEPT??”
How she owned it: If you need proof that Shraddha Kapoor can be beguiling and enigmatic, then just check out this video. Bollywood’s girl-of-the-moment for pushover girlfriend roles looks sexy as she holds a gun and croons Nancy Sinatra’s English song Bang Bang. But she proved that she can be foxy too. Kapoor, whose film Haider released on the same day as Bang Bang!, managed to plug her own film’s name and interspersed one of its haunting songs (Aaona, sung by Vishal Dadlani). Talk about killing two birds with one song.
Star: Homi Adajania and his wife Anaita Adajania
Roshan’s challenge: “wildest,craziest 4 d sexiest, beautiful n my love @Anaita_Adajania n @homiadajania recreate poster in ur own style!”
How they owned it: Let’s face it: it’s not easy looking as beautiful and bronzed as Roshan and Katrina Kaif do in the Bang Bang! poster, so the Adajanias did the next best thing. They used humour as their weapon to smash this challenge. In their self-designed poster, you will see a grossly overweight Homi Adajania (identified as Homi Roshan) about to pounce on his bodacious wife. The working title is B-B-B-Banged! along with the tagline: ‘when you least expect it’. It’s corny, but not as corny as the film itself. So win, win.
Star: Priyanka Chopra
Roshan’s challenge: “The only girl I cud dare this! For super @priyankachopra my #bangbangdare HANDSTAND with a push up!! Do u accept! U have 3 days!”
How she owned it: Roshan underestimated the power of Priyanka Chopra here. The actress, who is now basking in the success of playing a boxing champion in Mary Kom, did not do just one handstand with a push-up but three. To underline her fierce fitness quotient, she did them wearing heels. Respect.
Star: Farhan Akhtar
Roshan’s challenge: “Jumps off a plane/runs like d wind! But cn he do both?My #bangbangdare @FarOutAkhtar — run/cycle down bandstand in ur skydiving suit!ACCEPT?”
How he tackled it: We expected a lot more from Farhan Akhtar, who played Roshan’s best buddy in the hit bromance Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He ticked all the boxes, but like Aamir Khan, he took the easy way out when cycling through Mumbai’s posh Bandra neighbourhood. He looked funny in a white space suit, but the bit about jumping off a plane was given a mock twist: he jumped off a small wall.
Star: Photographer Daboo Ratnani
Roshan’s challenge: “This ones going to b fun!! My #bangbangdare to my friend @dabbooratnani — 100skips one go!! U have 2 days! Accepted?”
How he tackled it: We all know that Daboo Ratnani is a top fashion photographer on the speed-dial of most Bollywood A-listers. But who knew that Ratnani had the ability to follow Roshan’s mind-over-muscle philosophy to the last letter? His skipping clip may not have been the most riveting video to watch, but if Daboo can skip 100 times, what’s our excuse?
Star: Shah Rukh Khan
Roshan’s challenge: “The 10pack #bangbangdare @iamsrk show us a pic doing ur fav ab exercise!all want 2 know which 1 it is! U hv 3 days! Qabool?”
How he owned it: Salman Khan in an interview with tabloid! came out in defence of his arch-rival Khan and his eight-pack-abs as seen in Happy New Year promos. They aren’t fake, said Salman. Still sceptical? Proof lies in this video. Khan looks ripped doing a series of bench-presses, push-ups and kettle-bell lifts with ease. But our favourite bit is when his Happy New Year director Farah Khan is egging him on to do better, all the while sitting comfortably in her chair. He didn’t meet his three-day deadline, but that didn’t stop Roshan from declaring him a winner.
