I knew that this girl had my back all the way without fail: Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone


Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone are on a whirlwind promotional tour of their Hollywood film, xXx: Return of Xander Cage. After the film's premiere in Mexico and London, they greeted fans in Mumbai recently . BT caught up with the two stars in a one-on-one chat and got them talking about their crackling chemistry and the deep friendship that they share. Excerpts...

Deepika, how would you compare your Bollywood and Hollywood debuts?

Deepika: I don't know if I can sum that up, but just the fact that Vin has been so generous, warm and welcoming gave me the confidence to do what I did. It is not a bond of friendship that is workrelated, I know that he will always be there for me. I felt the same way about Shah Rukh Khan when I debuted 10 years ago with Om Shanti Om.

Despite not knowing each other, you share great chemistry on screen...

Vin: It is clearly a new relationship and I am so blessed to have it. Working with her was incredible and effortless.It was like that from the beginning.The first time we met (while auditioning for Furious 7), everyone in the room felt that we had known each other for years. So, we knew that we had this wonderful chemistry from the very beginning, and I believe that chemistry is a valuable ingredient for any film. Deepika was just the perfect embodiment of the character (Serena) and the message of our movie. She plays this formidable woman who is dangerous, tough and adamant about her beliefs, but does not relinquish her compassion. There is a similarity between Xander (Vin) and her and that was fun to play with. It's great when you have a loyal partner in creating magic. I knew that this girl had my back all the way without fail.

Deepika, the xXx franchise is high on action. Was it difficult for you to pack a punch like Vin?

Deepika: There is so much more to the movie -along with the drama, adven ture and romance, there is also a mes sage. Serena and Xander are on a mis sion and they always have their guard up. One of our favourite scenes in the film is where the two characters have a real moment and start talking about life and philosophy .Vin: That scene from the story's perspective was necessary because it serves as a catalyst for change in our characters.That scene inspires the heroism that is needed for this movie.