He came, he saw and he made denizens go mad. Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar inaugurated the swanky shopping mall – PVP Square – amid the booming pop numbers, “We are Champion” (Queen) and Eye of the Tiger (Survivor), on Friday.
Accompanied by actress Anushka Shetty and his close pal V. Chamundeswaranth, directors Raghavendra Rao and Vamsi Pydipalli, Sachin went around the mall, surrounded by beefy personal staff.
Though the organisers had made it an only-for-invites show, they threw open the doors to the public at the fag end of the event. Nearly 5,000 people, armed with smart phones and cameras, occupied vantage points in the mall to capture the legend in various moods and postures.
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The organisers also installed a drone camera to capture Sachin in the best of angles.
The event also brought to fore the active participation of the social medial, as the pictures of the event found place in Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and WhatApps even as Sachin was present at the mall. The ‘little master’, with his goggles on, also attested his signature on the wall of the mall.
However, the lady who drew the attention of the viewers and the guests was Tatiana, a Russian gymnast. This girl, who was part of the event management, stood on a long flexible pole (as long as 25 feet) and greeted Sachin, by garlanding him. “This act is popular in European countries,” said the event manager.
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Sachin said he had visited Vijayawada earlier (twice) on cricketing assignments, and that this was the first time he was making a public appearance. “I have to come to inaugurate my friend Prasad’s mall. I think this will be a nice place for you to hang around,” he said amid wide screams. He added that he had been to several places in the word and in the country, but Vijayawada was always special to him.
Anushka Shetty, who overshadowed Sachin’s persona, was at her crisp-best by ending her speech in less than 30 seconds. Police had a tough time streamlining traffic on MG Road till noon.