Robert De Niro and Farhan Akhtar

Robert De Niro and Farhan Akhtar

Director-actor Farhan Akhtar get very delighted by having ‘a whole hug’ from Hollywood star Robert De Niro, when he was expecting just a handshake from his idol. All this happened at the opening ceremony of the hotel Atlantis in Dubai.

Farhan says, “I met Robert De Niro in Dubai at the opening of the Atlantis Hotel. I can’t even begin to tell you what it meant to me. I mean, everyone who loves cinema, loves De Niro, right? But with me it’s a little more.”

He later explained that De Niro was his primary incentive to attend the event. Farhan adds, “When heard he was going to be there at the Dubai event, I knew I had to be there too. Yes, De Niro was my primary incentive for attending the event. I had hoped for a handshake with him - at the most. I got a whole hug! I don’t know whether he even realised how much I respect him. But to see him so up-close and personal was an awesome experience. De Niro turned out to be a thorough gentleman. Everyone there at the Dubai event wanted to meet him. What an ordeal it must have been for him to smile and talk to everyone. But he was totally in control.”

Farhan explains that De Niro didn’t know more about his work, but he spoke very warmly to him. “Shah Rukh, who was with us, was sweet enough to tell De Niro quite a lot about my work. De Niro has given us his contact details where we’ll be sending him my films. I’m doing so right away.”

Farhan says his break in Dubai was not a break at all as it was so worthy. He added, “We were constantly doing something or the other, attending one event after the next. There was no respite. Now I need a holiday to get over the experience and relive my golden moments with De Niro. My love for movies was inspired by people like De Niro and Mr Bachchan. He was a wow factor for me right after I saw Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.”

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