SRK'S absence upsets crowd

Where is Shah Rukh? We are waiting for him," wailed 16-year-old Azhar Zakaria, one of the hundreds of locals who crowded the barricades during the opening ceremony of the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco, which was packed with Bollywood stars.

But alas, Shah Rukh Khan, the star many had come to see, was expected to arrive only on Saturday, while the opening ceremony was held on Friday.

But the superstar's absence did not entirely dim the enthusiasm of the gathered crowd, many of whom were waving Indian flags and shouting SRK's name. There were enough and more stars and directors from the Hindi film industry to keep them happy, including Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan accompanied by his wife, Sussanne, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Arjun Rampal, and filmmakers R Balki, Gauri Shinde and Karan Johar. "This is my first time in Marrakech," said Karan, who is there together with the cast of his film Student Of The Year. "But I was suprised to see that most people recognised me and knew my name. They've been coming to me and praising my film."