'Zindagi...' team hurl tomatoes at one another

Mumbai, March 19 (IANS) The stars of Zoya Akhtar's "Zindagi Na Milege Dobara" had a unique bash at the time of shooting -- they celebrated the famous Tomatina festival of Spain by throwing ripened tomatoes on one another.Just as Holi is celebrated in India by splashing colours on one another, the Spanish celebrate Tomatina annually.

"Zindagi Na Mile Dobara" has an elaborate scene, with Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol taking part in the fun festival.

The Tomatina was re-created for the shoot of the film. It was shot in Bunyol, Valencia, Spain. The film is scheduled to hit theatres June 24.

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani said: "To recreate the Tomatina festival and make it look authentic, we had to call for some 16 tonnes of tomatoes from Portugal as the tomatoes in Spain were not ripe." For the scene, 24 tonnes of tomato puree was used.

"Tomatina in Spain is a festival closest to our Holi...they play with tomatoes and the world turns red for the day. The energy is infectious and the scene is a visual treat," Zoya Akhtar, the film's director, said in a statement.

"We had a blast shooting this sequence but it was not all rosy. It was a logistical nightmare for the producer...We shot in the same location where the festival actually takes place and we had to shut the town down," she said.

"The residents of Bunyol were extremely sweet and in turn they celebrated Tomatina twice last year...once for Spain and once for India," she added.

Unlike Holi, which causes pollution due to chemical colours, Tomatina is extremely helpful to the fields in Spain, and the used tomatoes were thrown into the field - as it is biodegradable, a source said.

"As the 16 tonnes of tomatoes had to be flown in from Portugal, it cost the producers of 'Zingagi Na Milege Dobara' one crore rupees," the source said.

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Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara