From the Red Carpet
contributed by Nashila Velji

Stress, anticipation, screams, cheers, and demands do not even begin to cover what happens on the red carpet.

On January 11, 2007, Toronto's Elgin Theatre hosted the premiere of the Bollywood movie, Guru, and I was there, but I didn't watch the movie, my role that night was much bigger than just a fan or spectator.

I am an intern for MyBindi.com and I assist Syerah, MyBindi's Editor-in-Chief, on various media related assignments. I don't get paid, but I can say that no money can compensate how I felt and what I did that night!

My role was in the midst of all the action, right from the red carpet, and not outside the ropes, my feet were implanted on the mysterious and exquisite red threads intertwined together that make the prestigious carpet and I shared that space with famous Bollywood stars.

People behind the ropes were screaming and cheering as the people from another world emerged out of their limos and set foot inside the grand, golden theatre.

I had the privilege of meeting a prominent director, Mani Ratnam; a music director whose sounds cause goose bumps when played, A.R. Rahaman; a talented actor, Madhavan; and of course the stars of the night, the handsome Abhishek Bachchan and the stunning Aishwarya Rai.

You know how sometimes people have a list of things to do before they die, well if I had such a list - then this is where I would cross out ambitions of helping organize a premiere, and meet Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.

The experience is hard to put into words. I've rambled on incessantly to all my friends how it was from the frontline and now when I try to capture those emotions in a 800 word article, it is one of the hardest things to do.

How do I describe what was running inside me that night; the adrenaline; anticipation; stress. No matter what adjective I use, it would still be hopelessly inadequate to describe my experience.

All I can say is that being so close to all the action was truly an unbelievable feeling.

Thank you MyBindi for the opportunity and special thanks to Sanjiv Kumar, the publicist for the event and to Roger Nair and Raja Paul, the event's organizers.