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Priyanka Chopra as mistress of ceremonies was having a ball, from ribbing Ranbir to teasing Parineeti. But it took Krrish co-star Hrithik Roshan to sweep her off her feet. In one swift move, the co-owner of the Pune team picked up PeeCee and swung her around in his arms. Wow! After rocking the inaugural ceremony in a blingy black number, Priyanka slipped into a yellow-and-black peplum dress and walked into the VVIP box to meet her Bolly mates. “For me, football is about a foot and a ball!” was the punchline from the screen Mary Kom.
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Priyanka greeted Sourav Ganguly with, “You know why Dada got into football? Because here taking off the shirt is official!” As the stadium cheered lustily, Sourav wore a bashful smile. Not long after, one of the Atletico de Kolkata boys did Dada proud. Arnal Carbo (right), the Spanish forward who digs Jennifer Lopez, took off his jersey after scoring the third goal. He was promptly yellow-carded (that’s the rule of the game, PC!), though.
THE GREATS
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Amitabh Bachchan was glued to the on-field action. In between, he was seen chatting with Mamata Banerjee, Mukesh Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar and others. And he joined the chant every time the crowd went “Kolkata Kolkata”.
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Sachin Tendulkar still drew the loudest cheers and the stadium even went “Sachin, Sachin...” A special moment for cricket fans? When after his team scored the first goal, Sourav Ganguly plonked himself on the steps next to Sachin, with a friendly pat on his back.
THE HEART-THROBS
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Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham kick-started the Mexican wave as it did three back-to-back rounds of the stadium. “It’s been a great opening ceremony. It’s the start of a football revolution. We are all friends and we are all very happy and proud to be a part of it,” said AB (Jr). “I am a Chelsea fan. My dad is also a Chelsea boy! His fave? I think he’ll probably say Pele!” For Beta B, the most animated star in the box, Calcutta “is a great place to start Indian football”. Dostana buddy John Abraham obliged fans with selfies, bit into his chocolate energy bar and stood huddled around his Northeast United FC teammates. “It looks like the World Cup, doesn’t it?” as the players ran onto the field amid fireworks and music. “It’s great to be a part of this. I’m here with my friends and owners and we’re spending as much time as possible with each other. I’d definitely like to get down to the field when I can... I’m a football player!”
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Ranbir Kapoor was the first Bolly biggie to arrive, almost an hour before the ceremony, waving at his fans and stooping to touch Usha Uthup’s feet. Following close on the heels of the Mumbai team co-owner were friends Ayan Mukerji, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri. Inauguration over, the Rockstar in a team tee and team cape sat back in the box and gulped down bagel after bagel. The 0-3 defeat must have left a bad taste in the mouth but Ranbir the sport cheered on for ISL and the sport.
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Aditya Roy Kapoor drew drools and cheers from young girls in the crowd. “I am very big on football and I am here to support Ranbir and the team. This is my first time in the stadium... it’s HUGE! I am a Barcelona fan. Messi, absolutely! Best of luck for the league,” announced the Aashiqui 2 heart-throb (and Ranbir’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani co-star), promising to meet all his “female fans” in town!
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Sporting her tomboy charm in rolled-up baggy jeans and the blue Mumbai jersey, Nargis Fakhri grooved to every song being played on the ground before ferrying bottles of water for others in the box. “I just enjoy sports. It’s about enjoyment, meeting new people and inspiring youth to play a certain sport,” smiled the Rockstar co-star of Ranbir and the Madras Cafe co-star of John. Varun Dhawan was spotted getting up close with Main Tera Hero co-star Nargis. He was also seen chatting with Parineeti and Aditya. He left before half time but not before stopping to pose for selfie with fans.
