Outside, Mumbai was sweltering in the summer heat. Inside the Pantaloon store, the atmosphere was heated with excitement.
Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor were scheduled to make an appearance to promote their latest film together, Sooraj Barjatya's Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon.
A hysterical crowd thronged the store; children ran helter-skelter choosing the best spots from where they could gaze at the stars. One woman was even seen pleading with a member of the press to exchange places with her -- she thought the press had a better eye-view. Boy, was she wrong!
Expectant faces beamed and everyone screamed in delight as soon as any young man or woman entered the store -- only to half-frighten unsuspecting shoppers.
When the stars finally walked in, pandemonium reigned. The crowd, which had been waiting patiently for over an hour, went hysterical. Hrithik's fans simply could not get enough of him. And Kareena was greeted by unceasing catcalls.
Both actors desperately need a hit.
Hrithik's film career is at an all-time low. Except for his debut, papa Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (Amisha Patel), which gave him a temporary demigod status, none of his films have scored at the box office. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik, Kareena), though successful, cannot really be counted; the mega-starrer was more Shah Rukh's film than anyone else's.
Kareena's career graph is similar. After a great debut in J P Dutta's film, Refugee (Abhishek), she scored a hit with Satish Kaushik's Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (Tusshar Kapoor). Since, her career -- again, we won't count K3G -- has gone downhill all the way.
But one would never have guessed this at the Pantaloon store.
As children fought to glimpse the stars, the duo were cornered at the makeshift dais. Hrithik tried his best to push back the excited throng, but the crowd only inched closer. The hysteria was so bad that the stars had to leave within minutes of arriving at the store.
The organisers tried again.
They corralled the children at a safe distance and Hrithik and Kareena returned. The enthusiastic children promptly wriggled their way through the security cordon and reached for the stars. After begging for autographs and chanting Hrithik's name, they cried for more.
Safety, the stars decided, lay in getting away. They quickly unveiled the outfits -- Kareena's sea-green top and sequined jeans and Hrithik's beige T-shirt and jeans -- they had worn in Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon before making good their escape.
"Maine uska haath pakra [I held his hand]. I will not wash my hands at all now!" gasped an excited girl, waving her hand proudly. Another complained she had not been able to see Hrithik's face properly. Their mothers chattered excitedly about how beautiful Kareena looked in her minimal make-up and 'smart' her blue top was.
Now, it remains to be seen whether Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, which releases June 27, attracts the crowds as enthusiastically as their film promotions do.
