Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2017)

Filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, best known for Rock On!! and Kai Po Che!, fondly known as Gattu among friends, brought in his second wedding anniversary with actress-model wife Pragya Yadav with a private bash at their suburban home on Wednesday night. The couple tied the knot on May 4, 2015, after dating for over three years.

Friends, Arjun Rampal and wife Mehr Jesia, actress Kim Sharma, fashion designer-socialite Surily Goel, were among the guests. There was the celebratory cake, music and dinner. Abhishek and Pragya’s year-and-a-half-old son, Isana, was also a part of the revelry, as was their pet husky.

Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan sent them their wishes. So did maternal uncle Jeetendra, and cousins Ekta and Tusshar.

“The party was planned by Pragya who is a big Star Wars fan and fondly calls her husband, R2G2 (based on one of the characters from the American franchise). ‘May the fourth be with you!’ she wished Gattu and the next day whisked him off for a romantic dinner. The couple has a European getaway planned in July,” informed a friend.

MUMBAI MIRROR (November 14, 2015)

Abhishek Kapoor on winning the Rock On 2 battle and finding a soulmate in wife Pragya Yadav
Upala KBR (DNA; November 9, 2015)


Now that you have won the case for Rock On 2, is there a feeling of vindication?
I do feel vindicated and relieved, but I see no reason to rejoice. It was never about money at all but just about getting credit for my work. There was nothing more important than that. There was no intent to blackmail anyone, it was purely having my work recognised as mine. Pubali Chaudhari and I have written the script of Rock On 2 and though we tried different ways to resolve it, we couldn’t and had no choice but to go to court. I am thankful to the High Court for having made this judgement and recognising my work and my contribution. But at the end of the day, when two people fight and they are friends and they have go to court for it, there’s a sense of loss and that definitely overrides my sense of winning. I just want to move on.

Have you spoken to Farhan Akhtar or Riteish Sidhwani after the verdict?
There has been no communication with them for some time now. Hopefully, there will be a day in the future when there will be. I haven’t seen Farhan in a long time so I don’t know… Maybe when we meet next time things will clear up. We will see when it comes to that.

Why didn’t you make Rock On 2 with Excel?
I don’t know… I was supposed to direct it. I developed the script to direct it but then somewhere along the way they had a change of heart about wanting me to direct it. I don’t know what it was and we never really got down to speaking about it. It was a script I had written with my co-writer and I was to direct it, but they chose to go somewhere else. I didn’t want someone else to direct my film because I wrote it for me to direct. It’s my child but apparently my contractual obligations said that anything I wrote would belong to them so that clause was raised and so, I had to adhere to it and I was okay with it because that’s what I had signed. I was informed that they another director would be directing Rock On 2 and that was disappointing, but sometimes you have to suck it up!

What took you so long to find the right girl (Pragya) and get married?
Marriage suits me (laughs). I don’t know. That’s something you should ask her. I am in a good space right now. I think I decided to get married because I felt it was time for me to start a family. I met Pragya at a concert in Mumbai and just hit it off instantly. I think so she’s the perfect girl for me. I waited long enough for her to come into my life. She makes me happy and feel great about myself and that’s the most important thing. I got married in May this year when I was in the middle of shooting Fitoor. There was no honeymoon. There was a lot going in my life right now, we are expecting our first baby now… It doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or girl, but just that the baby should arrive, healthy and fine.

Has it sunk in that you are going to be a father soon?
I haven’t had the time to digest all of it. I don’t know where to put my head and my film’s releasing in February next year so I have two babies now coming back-to-back. When I was told that I was becoming a father, at first. I didn’t believe it. It took me about a week to digest the fact that it’s true. I would shrug it off and think, yeh kaise ho sakta hai (laughs)? Now finally it’s sunk in. Fortunately, it’s all been good so far. Pragya is very understanding. When you marry a filmmaker, you have to be, it comes with the territory.

Instead of the big, fat Punjabi wedding, you had a low-key one with close friends and family in attendance. Why?
Two things — I was in the middle of my movie so I didn’t have time to plan my wedding. I didn’t have time to host our reception also. Also it was nice the way it was — small and intimate and paying attention to just a few friends and family members. Celebrations and big parties can always happen later.

How did you propose to her?
It was at my friend’s wedding in Udaipur when Pragya and I were at the back lawns of the palace. I just felt the moment was right and I popped the question. I didn’t tell my friend or he would have thought I was stealing his wedding moments! (laughs) It was a beautiful setting… I wouldn’t call myself a romantic but yes, it was a very romantic moment.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 7, 2015)

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 8, 2015)

When Abhishek Kapoor tied the knot with his girlfriend Pragya Yadav at a Juhu temple on May 4, his best friend was not by his side. While everyone from Sohail Khan (he acted in his directorial debut, Aryan) to the groom's cousins, Ekta and Tusshar Kapoor, turned up for the filmmaker's big day, Sussanne Khan was conspicous by her absence.

The interior designer who is a close friend of the Rock On!! director skipped the nuptials, but her former friends, Arjun Rampal and his wife Mehr Jesia, walked in hand in hand. It must be remembered that Arjun's equation with Sussanne has widely been cited as one of the reasons for her split from Hrithik Roshan and reportedly soiled the friendship of Sussanne and Mehr too.

Said a source, "Sussanne didn't want any awkwardness on Gattu's special day. She conveyed this to him the night before. She could have easily made it to the shaadi but obviously she didn't want to encounter Arjun or Mehr."

Gattu and Arjun go back by several years. The latter even acted in his musical hit, the 2008 film, Rock On!! It was a National Award winning performance. "He was going to be there for sure. And perhaps that's why Sussane decided it would be better if she stayed away," added the source.

When contacted, Sussanne admitted that she didn't attend the wedding, saying, "I was abroad for work so couldn't attend."

Couldn't she have skipped work for her best friend's wedding? Apparently not!

MID-DAY (May 5, 2015)

Rock On (2008) and Kai Po Che (2013) director Abhishek Kapoor tied the knot with longtime girlfriend and Hawaa Hawaai (2014) actress Pragya Yadav yesterday.

The wedding ceremony was held at the ISKCON temple in Juhu. The couple has been engaged since 2013. Arjun Rampal, who is Abhishek’s close pal, tweeted a photograph of the couple and stated: “My best friend’s wedding. Congratulations... God blesses u with the most beautiful journey ahead.” Saqib Saleem, who shared screen space with Pragya in Hawaa Hawaai stated, “Oye badhaiyaan to my lovely @pragyadav_• @Abhishekapoor ... stay happy!! Stay blessed!!,” Saqib tweeted on Monday.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; April 25, 2015)

Gattu aka Abhishek Kapoor is all set to roll with Fitoor. Mirror caught up with him at his new Khar terrace flat to talk about the film and more. Excerpts:
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2014)

You seem to have disappeared after Kai Po Che?
I shifted to my new apartment and office and then went travelling. (Smiles) Many of our writers and directors are very prolific but my ideas cook slowly, like biryani on a low flame.

How faithful will Fitoor be to Charles Dickens's Great Expectations?
The film will have a contemporary setting but the heart of the characters is the same. I'll start shooting by August end in Kashmir, followed by schedules in Delhi and London. The combination of Rekha, Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapoor should connect well with the audience.

Before Rekha, you approached Sridevi with the role of the desi version of Miss Havisham.
Not just Sridevi, at one point I was also considering Tabu. Maybe if I had cast either of them, the other two actors may not have fitted in so perfectly.

Was it easy to convince Rekha?
You don't need to convince anybody in this world to do a role. It depends on how an actor responds to your material. Else, no point in pushing your case. As for Rekha, she responded very well.

Were you disappointed when Sushant opted out of Fitoor after committing to it?
Changes happen. I am not a director who will make a film for a starfriend. It's high time to empower the directors.

Balaji was supposed to produce Fitoor...
Things didn't work out with Balaji. The reason is not yet out in public. Ekta is my sister and my equation with her has not changed.

Who do you think benefited the most from Kai Po Che--Rajkummar Rao, Amit Sadh or Sushant Singh Rajput?
Why only these three actors? What about my team who worked behind the scenes? Whoever worked with me on my last two films has gone two steps ahead, and that includes Farhan (Akhtar) and Arjun (Rampal)-- my Rock On!! stars. I have added value to the industry and that gives me a lot of satisfaction.

And now you are adding more value with your production house...
It's called Guy In The Sky. Fitoor will be co-produced by Guy In The Sky and Disney India. I see many directors around me who are attached to a production house who don't think like them. I want to collaborate with unique independent storytellers who think like me.

Will you always co-produce the films you direct now?
No set rules. I will cross that bridge when it comes.

Will Guy In The Sky focus on small and medium budget films?
Not necessarily. The budget will depend on the story.

What's happening to Rock On 2?
(Shrugs) No idea.

Seems, Farhan Akhtar (co-producer of Rock On!!) and you don't see eye to eye anymore...
(Shortly) I am good with Farhan.

When are you marrying your girlfriend Pragya Yadav?
On the date the Almighty finalises. I definitely believe in the institution of marriage. By the way, Pragya and I are engaged.

Are you living-in with her?
Yes.