Look at it any way you want, Bollywood rules! The big screen is hip. So, can you blame us for leaning a little on the stardust? Discover Verve in the newest flick, Dostana, starring Priyanka Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham. Great gal, fab hunks, terrific magazine! OK, so it’s not a true depiction but then that’s what tinsel town is all about – fantasy, imagination, dreams. We are excited to have this connect and hope viewers and readers alike will enjoy it too.

Dostana’s Verve is located in Miami. We are hardcore Indian, with a penchant for local designs, cuts and hems. The filmi magazine stars foreign models while we love our desi damsels. And oh yes, the office. The Bollywood version is a razzle-dazzle extension of our own very sleek, very feminine, very pink and girly interior. Our computers clatter against pink and lime green walls and the editor’s cabin (here’s a secret) is polished fuschia. We don’t have the glitz but yes, we certainly have the glamour. Even up close and personal! “I was very clear about how I wanted the office to look….. After all, we were showing Verve’s office,” says director Tarun Mansukhani. Dostana’s Miami Beach may prove to be the perfect backdrop for a celluloid tabloid but Verve’s workspace is perfectly located on Mumbai’s Colaba Causeway, in the midst of the bustle of local boutiques, street fashion and street labels. While we discover ourselves in an era of burgeoning Indian fashion and see ourselves as chroniclers of a time that makes much of design and culture that’s local, Indian and close at hand, Verve embraces change and growth with as much excitement as the remodelling in the celluloid version. It is the spirit of growth that we share. And a certain idealism.

Director speak
Tarun Mansukhani looks back on the Dostana shoot

At Miami, it was like a group of friends had gone out together, made a film and come back. No one was there for the money or for fame. The three main actors (Priyanka Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham) each had done a film with each other and were there for the love of each other – considering it was called Dostana.

It was more like a holiday! At night, we would finish and then all go out together. We took in shows, local acts, impromptu dinners or just hung out at the beach. The team often met at a pub called Mango. Miami is an extremely friendly city. We had no problems with licenses and permissions.

And of course the three were constantly busy getting into the gym. It became a very important place for the unit. John made sure that everyone ended up there. Most pre-production meetings too happened at the gym. There were some members of the unit who, however would not go there, probably thinking they had great bodies which they did not. I, by the way, was one of them.

The three of them were also on a strict diet of grilled fish and spinach. (We hear that Abhishek was caught cheating on a cheeseburger and dessert). The rest of us would feast on pizzas, burgers, Indian meals – we were eating away to glory in front of them while they just looked on.

I have written the script of the film myself and I was very sure about wanting a top women’s magazine for the story. The association with Verve was wonderful because it gave the story authenticity and kept the characters grounded. I was already familiar with the magazine. Verve is so up there, the fashion is up to date and the magazine is wonderful. The Verve team opened their offices to us, checked out the sets of the film’s office, and with smiling faces asked if they could do a fashion shoot on the sets. We spoke with the Verve team and got insights into fashion and the running of magazines. I just had to work at presenting it in a new way for the film angle. It was a great amalgamation of both minds. My favourite scene is the big fashion show that we shot on the beach in Miami. This is not just a very glamorous moment in the film but also a very emotional one. It is the moment when the new Verve is revealed. (Again, the feedback from the Verve team helped us work out the new look!) Amrita, my art director put up a great set. I had no idea what she was doing but I was thrilled. We were shooting the scene late at night. There was no one else around. The lighting was perfect.

The moment when the two men see Priyanka for the first time in a swimsuit is also very dramatic. Manish (Malhotra), Priyanka and I went off shopping together to find the right suit. We went to a mall called Bal Harbour and finally singled out the gold one in the film. She looks stunning in it.”

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