A press conference on a yacht may seem like a quaint idea. Of course, what the various sections of media gathered on board the ‘Jasmin’ at Dubai Marina on Thursday hadn’t counted on was the air conditioning not working throughout the four-hour experience. However, Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, who came on board fashionably late to promote the Vikramaditya Motwane directed period film Lootera, seemed in high spirits despite the suffocating atmosphere. Charming Ranveer made it his mission to get everyone in the tiny cabin laugh out loud, and was quite a hit with the ladies, with his offhand quips and light-hearted banter with Sonakshi. “When it comes to scripts, I go by instinct; I’m actually drawn to directors whose work I’ve seen before. A lot depends on my first impression of the script. Does it evoke a strong emotion — Am I laughing? Am I on tenterhooks to know what happens next? I remember reading Lootera alone at night in my room — and I was crying. Such was the power of the script,” said Ranveer.

The actor spoke in glowing terms about his beautiful co-star. “Sonakshi had a five-star experience while shooting Lootera. Crowds in the smaller parts of India went absolutely mental when they saw her, which says a lot about the kind of stardom she has acquired over these few years. When you see the movie you will be stunned at what she has managed to pull off. It’s her most significant performance to date.” Sonakshi spoke hesitantly on what attracted her to the script. “I can picture other actresses doing my earlier roles but I really couldn’t imagine anyone else for the part in Lootera. You’ll have to wait for the movie to see what I mean,” she said. Lootera releases in the UAE on July 4.