Time marches on, people march by and Paa strengthens with each day in appreciation and box office alike. And long with time comes all that which pushes the promotions of the film even beyond. So an ingenious Balki designs a promotion with the Channel Neo Cricket that runs only sporting events, mostly around cricket.

With the Sri Lankan team touring India and India coming out victorious in the test series, they have now achieved that envious position as number 1 team in the world. The T20 series began some days back at Nagpur and India lost. Most of the blame going to the number of times catches were dropped and that had they been taken the result would have been different.

Today at Mohali the second T20 occurred and India won a thriller. The chase of the highest score in an International T20 was accomplished with aplomb and many sms’s came my way convinced that Auro had been lucky for the national team.

Why and how ?

Auro was at the Neo Studios during the duration of the match as an expert commentator. So along with cricket greats Marvin Attapatto and Murali, Auro too was included in the team, giving sincere and knowledged opinion on how and why and in which measure the Indian Eleven could win. And would you believe it India won.

The stay at the studio and getting involved with the details of how an operation such as this functions was most enchanting. TV is such a huge industry now and those that run it have nothing but appreciation from me. The intricate and at times complicated manner in which young men and women run and manage an operation is most remarkable. Alternating between Auro through the use of dentures and my normal self was interesting for me as a performer, but did the audience get the point ? I do sincerely hope so. Chatting with the greats on the pitch gave an incredible amount of adrenalin rush and i was inwardly hoping that somewhere this immense energy that I carried, unburdened itself on the players. And looks like it did. We won a smasher.

Tomorrow another day of pushing the film to extra limits, with the hope that those that missed the first occasion, will get persuaded by the second. I do hope so.

Vikram Phadnis that young and artful designer who has worked on me in films, is opening his private and first showroom and wishes that I come for the inaugural. Amid an entire torrent of camera and paparazzi we barely get to exchange a few words against each other and then depart. Encouraging young and talented individuals is such a satisfying thought that it bothers me irrespective of what others may think.

Fashion parades and sessions always bring me back to the days of ABCL hosting “Miss World” and the amount of political and moral criticism that was made then. Demonstrations and slogan mongering by enthusiastic politicians almost brought the operation to a halt. Why this hypocrisy ? The very next day when the event was over there was not a sound on the lingerie parade that was conducted in the confines of a 5-star hotel. Here to, it is pertinent to mention that a similar event and fashion show was conducted just a few days back by that excellent choreographer and director, Farah Khan. Other than applauding the show in the prominent portions of the daily press, there was no argument, nor any retaliation to women in a skimpier condition by any political force.

There are many similar related questions to ask. But time is limited too.

Let us then be conscious of procedures. Let us then be in a state where we never ignore what the mass wants within limited parameters of justice and law. May we never fall victim to deliberate design of politics and exploitation. In a free society my right must be respected.

Love

Amitabh Bachchan