Freaky Ali press meet in Dubai.
Freaky Ali press meet in Dubai.

What is Nawazzudin Siddiqui doing in a situational comedy about golf? Well, that’s one of the many fascinating things we tried to uncover at the Freaky Ali press meet in Dubai.

1. Nawazuddin only wants to do romantic comedies for the next five years

In his private tête-à-tête with Team MM, the actor revealed, “I feel extremely light doing this movie. This film is the first time that I have such a beautiful actress.” Nawaz compared working on this project to floating on a cloud. He compared himself to a lion who has tasted blood and can’t go back.

So, all those fans who love him in intense characters like Maanjhi and Raman Raghav 2.0 will have to wait as Nawaz has a new favorite genre.

2. Salman Khan wasn’t even offered a guest appearance in the movie

Salman joked about how he was rejected by his brothers to play even the henchman’s character in Freaky Ali. To this, Sohail Khan clarified that a small role would not do justice to Salman Bhai’s persona as his fans would be disappointed if they messed up.

3. Salman and Nawazzudin have a mutual admiration club thing going

Nawazzudin Siddiqui
Nawazzudin Siddiqui

At the press junket, Salman who is one of the producers on this movie was all praise for his lead actor. He applauded Nawaz’s journey from being given blink and miss roles to being one of the most celebrated performers of our time. Salman added that there was a time when Nawaz would get called in to do a scene in a movie only because they liked his expression when he got beaten up. However, when quizzed about his hero’s dancing skills, Salman rated him a 0 on 10 which he added is as much as he would rate himself as well.

Talking about his struggling days,  Nawaz confessed that first day job in Mumbai was that of a watchman. Woah. We do love the actor’s phenomenal growth and bet this is just the beginning.

Delving into details about their fascinating comic chemistry, he added, “Salman Bhai is very giving and spontaneous as an actor. Unlike other stars that believe that all the best lines should be theirs, he always told me how to do a particular scene in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. All the punchlines and humor you see are because of him.”

4. Arbaaz Khan’s next is with Sunny Leone!

Arbaaz Khan
Arbaaz Khan

Arbaaz Khan who plays Ali’s best friend Maqsood in the movie spoke about his newfound love for lighter roles. “Off-screen, I’m a very jovial and a funny guy contrary to what people see me on screen. I am getting a lot of offers for different characters including a lead role opposite Sunny Leone in my next”, he added.

5. Amy Jackson adores her freaky chemistry with Nawazuddin

Amy Jackson
Amy Jackson

Amy loved every minute of shooting for the movie. “I came with the misinterpretation that it will be really mean and strict on set and no fun. It was nothing like that. It was the easiest shoot. We had a ball and finished the whole project in 38 days.” Meanwhile, she’s all set to woo her audiences with more of her charm in Robot 2 which stars Akshay Kumar and Rajnikanth.

Freaky Ali in Dubai
Freaky Ali in Dubai

As the whole cast reiterated through all those long hours of one-on-ones as well as the actual press meet, the movie tries to revisit that impish humor that we adored in Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya ( when the Khan brothers first collaborated). In essence, Freaky Ali aims to encapsulate a story not just of golf but friendship, love and standing up for those that matter.