Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara released in 2011.
As Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara turns 12, recalling when Zoya Akhtar mentioned that they had to close down the entire town of Bunol in Spain to film the sequence.
Zoya Akhtar’s film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) celebrated its 12th anniversary on Saturday. Starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, and Katrina Kaif, among others, the movie follows the transformative journey of three best friends on a bachelor road trip across Spain.
Shot in 107 locations across Spain, ZNMD features the iconic recreation of Spain’s famous Tomatina festival. To capture the scene, a staggering 16 tons of tomatoes were imported from Portugal, as the local Spanish tomatoes were not ripe enough. The tomatoes reportedly cost a whopping Rs 1 crore.
Back in 2011, producer Ritesh Sidhwani had shared with IANS, “To recreate the Tomatina festival and make it look authentic, we had to call for some 16 tons of tomatoes from Portugal, as the tomatoes in Spain were not ripe.”
Describing the festival, Zoya Akhtar had then said that Tomatina in Spain is like Holi in India. They play with tomatoes and the whole world turns red for a day. The energy is contagious and the scene is a visual delight. “We had a blast shooting this sequence but it was not all rosy. It was a logistical nightmare for the producer,” she had said.
Zoya Akhtar had mentioned that they had to close down the entire town of Bunyol in Spain to film the sequence. They shot at the actual location where the festival occurs, and had to temporarily halt all activities in the town. The people of Bunyol were incredibly kind, and as a gesture of appreciation, they celebrated Tomatina twice – once for Spain and once for India,” Zoya had shared in 2011.
Only recently, Zoya Akhtar unveiled the poster for the highly anticipated second season of her popular show Made In Heaven. Co-created by Reema Kagti, the official release date for the second season is yet to be announced.
