Mumbai: Bollywood stars are as important as cricketers in this city.
Lifesize posters of superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan are all around the place, staring at you on your way to the stadium.
But rarely do cricketers get the opportunity to pose like film stars on these huge billboards.
So to see Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh staring back at me at the entrance to the Wankhede Stadium, posing for a soft drink advertisement, was a surprise.
Should India not make the final, whether this poster will be there on April 2 will be something to look out for.
Film producers are a little worried about releasing their films during the World Cup, fearing a poor turnout. Many movie releases have been postponed until after the competition and the conclusion of the Indian Premier League.
For Mumbai residents it is a choice between cricket and cinema.
The owner of Cinemax Multiplex has hit out at the decision to delay the releases. "People will watch cinema despite cricket. How much cricket can one continue watching?" he said.
Since most matches are day-night events, shows starting at 6pm and 9pm have been badly hit.
When actor Abhishek Bachchan was asked whether these cricket matches would affect a film's success, he said: "The World Cup comes once in four years and fans cannot be blamed for watching it.
Fatigue factor
"However, there could be a fatigue factor which film producers can utilise. Overdose of cricket can tempt viewers to watch movies."
Bollywood's big star Aamir Khan does nothing when India are playing. He said: "India are my favourites, but Australia are tough."
His film, Lagaan, based on cricket, turned out to be a super hit. He said: "I enjoyed the South Africa-India match. I thought India would win. But I still enjoyed the match a lot because Sachin [Tendulkar] is my favourite cricketer."
So whom does he predict to be in the final at Wankhede Stadium on April 2? "It would be interesting if it was an India-Australia final," he said.
Following the Indian team's decision to provide players with comedy movies, experts have suggested some suitable titles. Coolie No 1 and The Hangover are among them.
However, will the players be affected by the hangover of too much TV? We will have to wait and see.
