Abhishek Bachchan's last couple of films may have been multi-starrers, like Housefull 3 and Happy New Year. But there's a fan following out there that makes stepping out of home rather difficult for the tall sports lover.
It happened when he was at Wankhede Stadium last Sunday, when Mumbai Indians took on Gujarat Lions. In Nita and Mukesh Ambani's special box where food and drink flows all through the match like a five-star buffet, if there was constant fixture Anu Malik who wears a touch of green because he thinks it brings luck to the team, there was also the rarely-seen Abhi, in Mumbai Indians' team jersey. As long as he was in that space, he cheerfully took selfies with little girls who wanted to pose with him. But step out, he couldn't.
Fortunately, his companion was childhood friend Sikander Kher. Siku could go in and out, get himself popcorn or have a quick bite. But Abhishek didn't have that freedom and had to quickly duck into the air-conditioned cabin of the team owners to use the washroom or have a cup of coffee. Even to complete the two-minute walk, he had to wade through selfie seekers. And this was when the crowd was restricted to the Ambanis' invitees. Being an avid cricket fan like his father, Abhi enjoyed the match, jumping up and cheering for the team like everybody else.
It was only when the match ended that the nightmare began. By then word had spread that Bachchan Junior was around. Pavilions all around emptied out to rush in and catch a glimpse of him. One would think the fans would be hounding the winning MI team. But it was Bachchan they were interested in. Security personnel are usually in place only at the beginning of a match to ensure that entry to the owners' enclosure is solely for valid guests. They relax at the end of the game. But last Sunday was different. Abhishek had to be escorted first into the little cabin, where he could lock himself in. The security guys then had to man the entrance all over again. In fact they shut it, to keep the crowds from rushing in. Imagine, one had to tell them, hey, we're going out, can you open it for us please? They grinned and made a tiny opening to facilitate it. While the rest of us happily went home, Abhi had to wait a while till he could be escorted to his car.
At one time, film stars and sports stars would admire each other and become friends. Like Rishi Kapoor and Sunil Gavaskar. But it's a good time now for the Richie Rich of the film industry to actually be a part of the sports world. Amitabh Bachchan has always been a sports enthusiast, keenly following cricket, soccer, tennis and hockey. The biggest high for him is when Abhishek and he fly out of the country and get themselves the best seats in the house to catch a World Cup final in Brazil or a match at Wimbledon. It's an even bigger satisfaction that Abhi has stepped into the sports arena by becoming the co-owner of the Indian Super League franchise, Chennaiyin FC, along with M.S. Dhoni. He also owns Jaipur Pink Panthers, the kabaddi team, and he regularly teams up with Ranbir Kapoor and Dino Morea to play football at St. Andrew's in Bandra.
At no time have film and sports been as closely connected as they are now. Earlier, there were friendships, affairs and marriages between the two worlds. Today, they do business together. But of course, the mutual attraction between actresses and the men who play continues and it's not restricted to Captain Kohli and Anushka. If ambidexterous cricketer Zaheer Khan's girlfriend, Sagarika Ghatge, (the Chak De! girl) has started wearing his Delhi Daredevils jersey and cheering him openly, it's because the whisper is that the two families have met and the engagement is on the cards. After Zaheer has finished with his captain's duties, of course.
Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and author
