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Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan rehearse with choreographer Shiamak Davar; (right) Ranbir Kapoor in his first-ever stage show
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The arrival
The first celeb to be sighted at the airport is Bappi Lahiri, being wheeled to the flight to Hong Kong. “It’s such a long walk,” the Ooh la la man smiles sheepishly.
From Hong Kong airport, a ferry takes one to Macau. The ferry station is bustling, what with dozens of stars landing since morning, including an A-lister who was so sozzled that he had lost his baggage security tag. The ferry official is livid: “He was walking like this,” he says, doing a sarcastic imitation. Meanwhile, word reaches that Jeetendra’s ferry ticket is lost. Looking dapper in black shades and leather jacket, he waits at the counter unruffled. “I have come to Macau many times. I used to gamble before,” he smiles.
Daughter Ekta is sporting a red tilak so high on her forehead that on-lookers speculate if she’s got married. Their focus quickly shifts as Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Rishi Kapoor, Manish Malhotra and Subhash Ghai take the escalator down to the waiting ferry.
“Priyanka is already here,” Shah Rukh tells t2 on landing at Macau with wife Gauri. The Don duo would host the ceremony. “I am so tired I can barely think,” confesses Katrina, stifling a yawn. Still she walks up to greet Neetu Kapoor as Ranbir’s mom walks out.
“I love Calcutta, the people, the food… and I love The Telegraph,” gushes Manish Malhotra, who has done the costumes for Priyanka, Ranbir and Shahid for the awards.
The swish set soon disappears behind the tinted glasses of the fleet of Mercs and BMWs waiting to take them to The Venetian Macau, the swankiest address on the island.
The rehearsals
With the lobby donning billboards of SRK and Priyanka, the resort-hotel is throbbing with anticipation of a star burst. The 15,000-seater CotaiArena is the venue for ZCA 2012.
SRK is at the indoor arena with choreographer Shiamak Davar. “Shah Rukh has already rehearsed for three days in Mumbai,” he tells t2. No wonder he knows his lines.
Gauri walks in and strikes up a conversation with Shiamak. Soon Priyanka reaches, sporting a body-hugging top. On seeing Gauri, she walks up with a greeting on her lips. To be fair, Gauri does not look through her. Because she does not even look at her, continuing the conversation as if PC (that’s what Shah Rukh calls her) does not exist! Junglee Billi beats a hasty retreat. Mrs Khan ko manaana mushkil hi nahin, namumkin hai.
Katrina and Ranbir have finished their rehearsals. Both walk over to greet the Begum of Bollywood. Gauri grants them indulgent smiles. “Her act is superb,” Manish tells Gauri. “If she does those steps again, she will drop dead,” giggles a friend, as Katrina flutters her eyelids to show she is ready to collapse and walks out. Not before Ranbir gives her a warm hug, though. “This will be my first stage show,” the Kapoor lad tells t2.
With Bodyguard up for nomination, Shah Rukh shows Priyanka Salman-style pelvic thrusts, while humming parts of the title track. Salman should have flown over from Bandra just to smirk in satisfaction.
Priyanka shows why the Don loves to have his Billi by his side, biwi’s frown notwithstanding. As their turn comes to name the show’s sponsors, she reminds him: “You have Nerolac (as endorsement). You can’t say Asian Paints. I will say that.”
SRK’s show-off moment comes when a skateboard is brought in. “I am the only star who can do this,” says he, skating around. “It’s excellent for balance. You should get your dancers to practise on this,” he tells Shiamak.
At 3am, Zee boss Punit Goenka requests Shah Rukh to pack up. Perfectionist that he is, the Badshah sends him back and carries on.
If one lot was hard at work, another was playing hard in the casino. Jeetendra, Bappi Lahiri, Sajid-Wajid and others were spotted at various tables, rolling the die or calling trumps.
Face of Bollywood
Shah Rukh appears at the 2.30pm press conference 15 minutes late. “You are not a big star if you come on time,” he smiles and settles down. The rehearsals had gone on till 7am but the lack of sleep hardly shows.
Chinese journalists ask him whether India and China should produce films in collaboration. “My Name Is Khan released in China, so will Don 2 in a few months,” he says, before adding tongue firmly in cheek, “India and China, we have been so busy that we have half the world’s population between us.”
As Zee’s Punit Goenka asks him a question in Hindi, Shah Rukh offers to translate it in English. “Punit said I have achieved such good status in my…,” he stops and blushes. “It’s so difficult praising yourself.” The next moment all modesty vanishes. “He said you are the ultimate superstar in the history of mankind.” The room reverberates with laughter.
Zee TV’s primetime queens Rati Pandey (Hitler Didi), Mitali Nag (Afsar Bitiya) and Asha Negi (Pavitra Rishta) seek Shah Rukh’s advice for TV actors aspiring to the big screen. “Give me a hug and good things will happen to you,” he replies, embracing each with a naughty grin.
The press meet done, he leaves surrounded by guards. Ra.One and Don 2 are both in the fray. Which film does he want the award for? “Whichever, as long as they give it to me. I just hope our jokes go down well tonight,” he tells t2.
Foreign journalists are still comparing notes on the Indian star. “I can see why he is the face of Bollywood. He is composed, witty and attractive,” says Ysabelle Cheung, a scribe from Hong Kong.
The red carpet
The first known face on the red carpet is Bappi Lahiri. The local media ogles his gold chains. Prakash Raj and Kajal Agarwal represent the Singham team. Mithun Chakraborty, Kalki Koechlin, Zayed Khan, Zeenat Aman and Subhash Ghai walk in. “I hear they will do a gag on Don 12!” smiles Farhan Akhtar. Soon the crowd breaks into a chant: “Shah Rukh, Shah Rukh.” The Don obliges by walking up and touching every outstretched hand, setting off a series of screams.
Dia Mirza, looking pretty in a rust-and-pink dress, sums up the awards-eve mood: “The verdict is clear. Ranbir for Rockstar and Vidya (Balan) for The Dirty Picture.”
The show
The backdrop of the stage is the Macau skyline — with a casino here and a castle there. Other than SRK-Priyanka’s acts, the highlights are the performances.
First up is Shahid. Sporting a stubble and a deep V-neck vest, he close-dances with a female partner. Then Katrina burns the stage with Chikni Chameli. But it is Ranbir whose grand entry causes an uproar. He is spotted hanging from the ceiling about 70ft above adulatory fans, without a safety net below. As he slides down a rope, they go into a tizzy. He takes off to the beat of Bachna ae haseeno and returns for an encore, this time in Rockstar gear, head-banging to Sadda haq. The verdict: superhit. Shahid and Ranbir later dance together, paying tribute to Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor.
Vidya’s dance had been shot before. “I wish I could perform live. But my act was too dirty and Macau laws are too strict,” she said, looking vivacious in an orange sari. If she missed the audience applause, SRK makes up. “This year, after what you have achieved, nobody deserves the awards any more than you do,” he says, making her go pink with pleasure.
Farhan, with his Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara sweetheart Bagwati, fills in as MC whenever SRK and Priyanka take a break.
The last lap
Only the crème de la crème had been invited to Zee’s party which starts well after midnight. Yes, it had gatecrashers. Among them was a Bollywood ‘villain’. Two people are conspicuous by their absence — Shah Rukh and Priyanka. Reason? They are still shooting some patch-up sequences well after the ceremony has ended. Bravo Badshah!
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