Star Gazing at the Auto Expo 2012

Image: Amit Verma

Ranbir Kapoor at the unveiling of Nissan's new multipurpose vehicle Evalia

It was a day of unusual disparities at Pragati Maidan, the venue for the 2012 edition of Auto Expo. Outside, the notorious Delhi fog and chilly winds had everyone scampering for hot coffee and spicy chole bhatures. But inside hall number 10, the rising temperature threatened to boil over. Sure, Audi’s new compact SUV – Audi Q3 and the futuristic A3 e-tron, on show inside the hall, had already seen a rush of adrenalin in auto enthusiasts. But it was only when the next two “models” came on the stage that the first cries of, “Wow, Sexy!” were heard.

First came Lisa Ray. The former model, actor and cancer survivor was the anchor for Audi’s conference. The young and old jostled with their handsets to take pictures of the Afreen girl. The excitement for those present only increased when, ten minutes later, Katrina Kaif entered the stage amidst whistles, claps and howls. The security men and bouncers needed to flex every muscle in their bodies to keep the adventurous at bay. One of Kaif’s young fans shouted, “Hey Sheila.” One doesn’t know if the star heard it, but she did take every catcall on her stride.

The two beautiful stars were among the many other Bollywood names who added to the glamour quotient of the Expo on its first day. John Abraham, brand ambassador of Suzuki Motorcycles, couldn’t help but caress his “baby,” Yamaha V Max. The day saw the Japanese company launch its new scooter, the Swish 125. Though Abraham unveiled the new vehicle, which has teenage college girls as its core customers, the Bollywood was hunk was hesitant to sit on the “cute” scooter and pose for the shutterbugs. “It’s against his macho image,” remarked a fellow journalist. But the ever-affable, Abraham finally relented.

Nearby, “Rockstar” Ranbir Kapoor was seen giving Nissan Corporate vice president Gilles Normand a crash course in posing for the cameras. And at Hall no 15, where Mercedes was showing its latest models, the crowd was in for an unexpected star shower when Farhan Akhtar, Irfan Pathan, Chetan Bhagat and Masaba (daughter of actor Neena Gupta and West Indian cricket legend Viv Richards) appeared to promote the high end cars. The biggest crowd though was reserved for the Badshah of Indian cinema – Amitabh Bachchan, who came in to root for Dilip Chhabria’s modified vehicles.

But to us, the most interesting sighting of the day though was Noel Tata. Ratan Tata’s half brother was seen hopping from one stall to the other, checking out car models on display. Noel, who was one of the most talked about names to take on the mantle of the company, looked relaxed as he chatted with a colleague. Inside the Tata Motors pavilion, the chosen successor Cyrus Mistry was on official duty as he followed mentor Ratan Tata around. Mistry posed for the cameras and interacted with colleagues at Jaguar and Land Rover. Surely, he was getting the much needed training for the next edition two years later when he will need to hold stage by himself.