Brad Pitt in India to promote War Machine; discusses cinema, Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan

Brad Pitt is in India. This is not a drill. He is currently in a panel discussion with Rajeev Masand and Shah Rukh Khan, to promote his film War Machine.  They spoke about picking passion projects, keeping up the pressures and appearances in Bollywood, and also of being passionate about filmmaking. [caption id=“attachment_3477602” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Brad Pitt and Shah Rukh Khan at the event promoting War Machine.[/caption] Shah Rukh Khan admitted his favourite Brad Pitt film is 12 monkeys and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Brad Pitt said he doesn’t find any of his characters particularly challenging, but thought Fight Club and War Machine were the most fun. Meanwhile Pitt also asked Shah Rukh Khan: “How long does it take you to rehearse for a dance sequence?” SRK regaled with a fun story about his film Badshaah. He said it took him upto 4 days to master the song sequences. Brad Pitt made no announcement about visiting India. There’s been no airport sighting, no breathless social media outpouring, nor even the merest hint of a red carpet being rolled out by any of Mumbai’s swanky five-star hotels. And yet, he’s here. Pitt is currently promoting his Netflix film War Machine, and that is what has brought him to India as well. War Machine, a Netflix Original film, which premieres on 26 May, is produced by Pitt, in addition to starring him as General Glen McMahon, who’s trying his best to win an un-winnable war. This wouldn’t be Pitt’s first visit to India. In 2006, he was here with his then partner Angelina Jolie for the filming of The Mighty Heart. The film, about Marianne Pearl (the wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl) also starred Irrfan Khan, and the shoot locations were set in and around the city of Pune. Pitt and Jolie were accompanied by their children Maddox and Zahara. The Jolie-Pitts were seen hopping into autorickshaws and going around Pune while they were here in India. However, their visit ended on a somewhat unpleasant note when one of their bodyguards was involved in a scuffle with paparazzi. Pitt later returned to India for the shoot of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). His scenes were filmed around Varanasi at the time.