Dubai: In what seemed to be a rude April Fool's joke, the much-anticipated Zee Dubai Mega Mela on Thursday disappointed hundreds with the no-show of its star attraction Hrithik Roshan.
Many of the guests, who had turned up exclusively to see the Bollywood A-lister in the flesh, went home disappointed when the organisers announced at 10.30pm that Roshan had altered his plans.
Roshan will make amends on "Friday [yesterday] and Saturday [today]" was their promise and that the ticket-holders could return to the carnival with the same ticket the next day.
A visibly crushed 12-year-old Mustafa Quraish, who considered Roshan the ultimate Indian super-hero, could hardly contain his disappointment.
"I am very sad that I was not able to see Hrithik today. I was here just to see him. Hopefully, I will come back tomorrow to see him using the same ticket," said Quraish.
Though Roshan pulled a fast one on his fans, he was the picture of poise in an interview with Gulf News earlier in the evening.
The Krrish hero was tipped to make a public appearance on all three days of the Mela and was tweeting endlessly about landing in Dubai.
"Hopefully, we will all go back with a huge smile on our faces," he added. Billed as India's first super-hero after his successful outing in fantasy films Koi … Mil Gaya and Krrish, Roshan indicated that he was keen to strengthen that label.
"We are planning a sequel to Krrish. We are currently on the scripting stages. Hopefully we can spin the same magic again. We took a huge risk with Koi … Mil Gaya — it would have been embarrassing if people had laughed at me in my leather pants. But we made it work," said Roshan. Koi … Mil Gaya and Krrish were directed by his father Rakesh Roshan and struck box-office gold.
Mega Mela
Meanwhile at the Zee Dubai Mega Mela being held at the Dubai Media City amphitheatre, a carnival atmosphere pervaded every stall.
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor was cooking up a storm with his ace culinary demonstrations at the Moulinex Chef's theatre, and astrologer Sundeep Koacher was busy predicting what the stars had in store for his guests.
"It has been an amazing days with guests streaming in and out," says Koachar.
A fashion parade showcasing the collections from leading boutiques, added the much-needed glamour to the evening.
Pakistani singer Ali Azmat enthralled the crowd with his hit numbers, while the talents from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Dance India Dance set the stage on fire. The evening would be incomplete without a visit to the food stalls dishing out delicacies from Asia.
The Zee Dubai Mega Mela is on at Dubai Media City until today.
