Director plans for white Christmas in New York

Director Siddharth Anand is excited about shooting Christmas celebrations in a restricted area of New York City with Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor for his film 'Anjana Anjanai'. And he hopes it will snow when he cans the scenes.

If it won't snow, the carefully-planned concept of the lead pair bringing in Christmas in New York would fall flat. 'Yeah, we're praying for a white Christmas in New York,' said Anand.

Cameras are not allowed during the festive season at the world-famous Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, but the film's producer, Sajid Nadiadwala, has got all the necessary permission to shoot there.

'I don't know how Sajid did it. But he managed the near impossible. Priyanka, Ranbir and I are very excited about it,' Anand, who had earlier directed films like 'Salaam Namaste' and 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', told IANS.

'Shooting in downtown New York during Christmas time is completely prohibited. We would be shooting not only in and around New York at Christmas time but also the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, which is the tallest Christmas tree in the world. The tree there is 70 feet tall. That's equivalent to three storeys of a building,' said Anand.

Ranbir will dress up as a typical New Yorker for the Christmas celebration sequences.

'My wife Mamta is styling Ranbir's clothes. He'll be dressed the way New Yorkers from West Village are. Very trendily in jackets, scarves, coats and woollens. We'll show Ranbir and Priyanka cruising the brightly lit-up streets of NY during Christmas. You'll see them shopping on camera. And that would be real Christmas shopping,' he said.