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| Yash Raj's New Lucky Mascot By MM, 4 January, 2009 |
 Ever since Yash Raj Films's downward slide was stopped in August 2008 with Siddharth Anand's Bachna Ae Haseeno, the Golden Temple of Amritsar is seen as a lucky mascot for the banner within the YRF offices.Says one of their regular actors, "Yashji and Adi were extremely disturbed by the way things were going. Directors who debuted with the banner were either asked to leave, or deserted Yash Raj for greener pastures. Projects that Adi believed in bombed. What's worse these directors went around badmouthing the very people who gave them a chance to grow. It has been a trying time for Yash Raj." Bachna… was a turning point. And then came Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. The two successful films of Yash Raj, after a dismal row of flops had one thing in common - Amritsar and the Golden Temple. Says a source, "Shooting in Amritsar for these two films was a conscious decision. Yashji has a deep-rooted attachment to the city. It was he who suggested that Siddharth Anand start the shooting of Bachna Ae Haseeno with shots of the Golden Temple. In fact Ranbir Kapoor was at that time busy promoting the just-released Saawariya. His time, to shoot in Amritsar, was taken from his promotional schedule. That's how important the Golden Temple was seen to be." A still from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi After Bachna… worked, Adi Chopra returned to Amritsar and the Golden Temple for his own directorial venture Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Debutant director Anuraag Singh, who's making a film about a female cricketer with Rani Mukerji and Shahid Kapur also shot in Amritsar, some of it at the same time as Aditya Chopra's own directorial vehicle. Barring the next YRF release New York, which is set entirely in New York, all forthcoming Yash Raj Films, including Anuraag Singh's untitled film and Shimit Amin's Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year, are expected to accommodate Amritsar and the Golden Temple. "It's the mitti ki khushboo that's doing the trick," says an emotional member of the tight-lipped Yash Raj family. |
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