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The opening day of the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards started off with a reedy sapling but grew into a glittering gala by the evening, with a dazzling green carpet premiere for Sarkar Raj.
The whole day — starting with the planting of a tree by Aishwarya Rai and hubby Abhishek — was dominated by the Bachchan clan, adding a dose of mysterious glamour as the close-knit and tight-lipped dynasty made its long-awaited appearance.
As scores of fans chanted “Abhishek, Abhishek", the Bollywood actor, his glamorous wife Ash and iconic father Amitabh (with matriarch Jaya on his arm) hit the green for the premiere of their film.
Though the Bachchan family kept their fans waiting for almost two hours, it failed to dampen fans' enthusiasm.
Among other Indian celebrities at the premiere were Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, David Dhawan, Navin Nischol, Ajay Bijli, Zayed Khan, veteran actress Mumtaz with her daughters and also Neil Nitin Mukesh.
Though Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Urmila Matondkar and Diya Mirza are attending IIFA, they gave the Sarkar Raj premiere a miss.
After showing their green fingers earlier in the day, it was a surprise to see the Bachchan team turned up for the premiere in uniform black — Ash in a black-and-gold Shahab Durazi sari with spaghetti straps — but at least the mood wasn't sombre. The clan cracked a smile when Wizcraft International director Sabbas Joseph announced that the movie had a huge first-day's run, at theatres in India, the UK, and the Middle East.
At the post-film press conference, the cast could not stop eulogising each other.
Amitabh said, “Our performances depend upon our directors. I feel Ram Gopal Verma gives a lot of time and support to his cast, and also uses great technological skills like background music and strong editing, for us to finally give a great performance."
Abishek and Aishwarya themselves raved over Papa B. “Pa says so little, does so little, and yet is so powerful in the film,"said Abhi.
Seconded Aishwarya: “Pa is the voice of the film. He says so little, but I feel that every nuance of the story comes from him."
The couple said the greatest “gift"of the film was that they got time as a family to be together, which was normally so difficult because of their hectic individual schedules. As for marriage, Aishwarya told this writer “Marriage is special, his family is special."
Said Aibshek, “ It's the world to me!"
Mixed reaction
Sarkar Raj, with its dizzy camera movements, booming background score and seething violence, produced mixed reactions from the largely Indian audience, many of whom
preferred the first Sarkar film.
Members of the Mumbai film community who attended the screening, however, gave it the thumbs up, including Ramesh Sippy, a frail-looking Feroz Khan, Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi, Randhir Kapoor, Zarine Khan and 96-year-old wheelchair-bound Zohra Sehgal, who undertook the journey to Bangkok as she had a nomination for Cheeni Kum.
Bachchan lovers in the UAE haven't been disappointed by Sarkar Raj, with movie houses bursting with fans over the weekend. The film came out here on Thursday.
"The opening weekend has been fantastic,"says Mahi Golchin of Phars Films, which distributes Indian movies in the UAE. "The cinemas have been full. It will probably go for
a second week."
The film to beat right now is Race, the Bipasha Basu-Katrina Kaif-starrer. It had a huge opening week, and to win that race, Sarkar Raj will have to put at least 80,000 bums on seats this week
What is she hiding?
The loudest yells on Friday were for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, when the jeans-clad couple came down from their room, hand-in-hand, she in a loose pink top and huge sunglasses, he in white shirt with bright floral design, to plant a tree in the garden, with Nobel Prize-winning environmentalist Dr Raj Kumar Pachauri.
In the two sightings of her on Friday in the gardens and at the premiere the star was wearing loose-fitting clothing. At the premiere, Ash spent much of her time draping her sari over her arm in front of her midriff.
Something to conceal, perhaps? The couple have denied that their purchase of a home in Dubai is so that Ash can keep a pregnancy secret.
The Global Business Forum, which took place earlier in the day, attracted a large number of business heads from both India and the host nation. One of the speakers was the Indian Ambassador to Thailand, Lata Reddy, a movie-buff, and granddaughter of famed Telugu producer Nagi Reddy.
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