Dubai: If the UAE is known for its quest for the biggest and the best of everything, then at the world premiere of Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol last night, it seemed the film's star, Tom Cruise, was on a mission to break another record: that of the longest time on a red carpet.
The Hollywood actor, who filmed a large part of the action movie in Dubai last year, returned to the city to premiere it at the opening gala of the Dubai International Film Festival, and spent over two hours speaking to the hundreds of fans who had gathered at Madinat Arena for the occasion. They responded with deafening screams, dangling posters reading ‘Stop here Tom Cruise' over the barricades.
Cruise only left the barriers once, to greet His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who was attending the opening ceremony of the festival, now in its eighth edition, for the first time.
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After walking with Shaikh Mohammad into the venue, Cruise came out again to speak to fans, spending a total of two hours, 15 minutes on the red carpet, although he did not stop to speak to the media, including those from around the world, who had gathered in Dubai for the event.
Laila Abdullah, 16, had a heart-stopping moment when she came face to face with Cruise. "I am officially the happiest person alive right now. I think my heart stopped for a minute. My life is made now."
Jonathan Mulluer, 23, waited for four hours to meet his idol. "He is cool and friendly and it's a dream come true for me" he said of Cruise.
Honey Milaoui, from the Philippines, 22, was "over the moon".
"He signed my poster and was so close to my head when we took a picture. I will not wash."
Cruise's co-stars Simon Pegg, Paula Patton and Anil Kapoor also took time to meet fans and chat with the press, and couldn't praise their host city enough. "I love Arabian culture," said Pegg, with specific emphasis on his love of shisha — "grape and apple".
Patton, in a glittering red dress, waxed lyrical. "Dubai is a city of wonders. If you can build it, Dubai has it," she said. "No wait," she said, after a second. "If you can dream it, they can build it."
Kapoor made sure to shake hands with Shaikh Mohammad and thank him for making the filming in Dubai possible, and added, "I am so happy to come back to Diff after Slumdog Millionaire. At this festival I feel as if I am in Cannes. It's only going to go from strength to strength."
The red carpet was even graced with an Oscar winner, Indian music superstar A.R. Rahman, who will receive a lifetime achievement award during the festival and perform in concert at Dubai Sports City tomorrow night. "Diff is a great platform for Middle Eastern filmmakers to voice their thoughts," he said.
