Anil hopes 'Dil Dhadakne Do' beats Zoya's 'stupendous' last

"Dil Dhadakne Do", which brings together a good-looking and talented ensemble of actors, including Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Shefali Shah, Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma, apart from Anil, will be screened here a day after its scheduled release on June 5.

"I was very pleasantly surprised and happy (when it was announced that 'Dil Dhadakne Do' will have a gala screening in Kuala Lumpur)," Anil told IANS against an overwhelming view of the iconic Petronas Towers, which he first remembers seeing in Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones's 1999 film "Entrapment".

"Dil Dhadakne Do" is said to function around a dysfunctional Punjabi family on a cruise trip, and Anil has been cast in the role of the patriarch of the Mehra family.

A look at his character tells that he's an urbane chic dad -- much like his real self!

But not ready to give out much detail about his character, and the film, the 58-year-old simply said: "What can I say about a film directed by Zoya Akhtar. I don't have to say much. Everybody knows the kind of films she makes and the scripts she writes. Her last one was stupendous. Hopefully, this time will be better."

Zoya, the daughter of veteran lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, debuted as a director with "Luck By Chance", but luck came her way with "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", an ensemble movie which encapsulated the fervour and sentiments of the modern day youth.

It seems at least that "Dil Dhadakne Do" will set hearts aflutter. For now, Anil is looking forward to IIFA -- an annual celebration of Indian cinema on global shores. The extravaganza will be held June 5-7.

Sitting at the Marini's On 57, touted as Malaysia's highest rooftop bar, Italian restaurant and lounge, and experiencing some of the best views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, Anil said: "I will be here for all three days. I believe in these opportunities of travelling and meeting new people, and whenever I get them, I grab them."

Will he perform at IIFA this time?"See I am a kind of person... you never know what I am going to do. I go with my instincts and like to do things spontaneously," said the "Mr. India" star, whom an IIFA organiser referred to as 'Mr. IIFA' earlier in the day.

Shrugging it off, he said: "I'm not Mr.IIFA. It is the team -- Andre Timmins, Viraf Sarkari and Sabbas Joseph (of Wizcraft International Entertainment) who are worthy of that title as they have made the event what it is, and there's a whole lot of hardwork behind it."

Excited to be back in Kuala Lumpur in June, Anil noted that he has not yet filmed for any movie in Malaysia, but he hopes IIFA 2O15 opens the doors to many shooting opportunities for Indian filmmakers in the country.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of the IIFA organisers. Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in.)