The trailer of the highly-anticipated film, Yodha, starring Sidharth Malhotra in the lead, was launched 37,000 feet high up in the air on a flight on February 29, Thursday. Along with Sidharth, his co-stars Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani, as well as, producer Karan Johar were also present on the flight, which then landed in Ahmedabad, where the stars interacted with the media.
During the press conference, KJo introduced the audience to the director duo of Yodha -- Sagar and Pushkar, and he was also seen giving it back to those who have been questioning him for casting only "insiders" in his films.
Shashank Khaitaan, who is also one of the co-producers, thanked KJo for his unwavering support, and it was then that the filmmaker replied, "Shashank has ventured into a beautiful new territory with film production and I am proud as a parent for him. As someone who has seen him grow from strength to strength, it makes me very happy."
KJo went on to say, "And to everyone who has accused us of working only with 'insiders', let me tell you, Shashank Khaitaan is the brand ambassador of an outsider. Sagar and Pushkar are outsiders. So the next time you decide to troll us, look at Yodha, because the lead, Sidharth Malhotra, is also an outsider. So are Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani. Hence, I think I deserve another crown now. Whoever has tried to behead me, watch out for Yodha."
Sidharth also mentioned how 'life came to a full circle' for him with Yodha. Mentioning his longstanding association with Karan Johar, the actor recalled how he worked as an assistant director for KJo in My Name Is Khan, post which the director gave him his big break in Student Of The Year, alongside Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. "I have been seeing videos of fans comparing my clips from SOTY and Yodha, and I realised this is exactly what my journey has been. With Yodha, I seem to have completed my journey as an actor and life has come to a full circle for me. I will forever be grateful to Karan for giving me this opportunity and for standing by me through it all," he stated.
Disha Patani too added how she was 'spotted' by KJo. She revealed, "If I am an actress today, it is because of Karan Johar because he was the one who spotted me when I was modelling. I was just 18. I wouldn’t have been here if he hadn't spotted me at that time. So when people say whatever, let me tell you, I am an outsider. But he was the one who gave me the opportunity to prove myself."
During the event, Raashii Khanna also thanked the makers for getting her onboard the film. "I have done a lot of films in South and I want to do good work in the Hindi film industry as well. I don't want to do films here just for the sake of it. So when I was offered Yodha, I felt like, 'Yes, this is one interesting script'. I am playing a very strong role in the film, and I hope the audience will like it and encourage me to do the good work here as well," she shared.
Yodha is all set to hit the silver screens on March 15, and it promises to show Sidharth in a never-seen-before avatar. The actor has trained with some of the best action directors and stuntsmen for his scenes in the hijack drama. Director Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha will also mark their debut with Yodha.
