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It was Kareena Kapoor’s first outing for her new movie, 3 Idiots, but the biggest idiot of all, Aamir Khan, chose this day to go missing. And left it to his co-Idiots, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and director Rajkumar Hirani to explain his ‘disappearing act’ to the aggrieved media at ITC Hotel, Parel, on Friday afternoon.

Chopra insisted he had no clue Aamir was not going to show up. “I guess I was kept in the dark because I can’t keep a secret. I’m too honest and truthful,” he insisted. How was that possible then to produce the film given how little control he has over his cast, he was asked. Chopra’s good humour faded momentarily in the face of such scepticism but he kept his side of the bargain claiming complete ignorance. “I’m a bad actor,” was his line of defense. Okay, if we were to accept that statement on face value, then how did his three supertalented actors, Madhavan, Sharman and Kareena, justify being “clueless” about Aamir’s whereabouts too.

Apparently, even director Hirani was directionless. Hirani whose favourite game is chess, suddenly found himself being dragged into a game of hide-and-seek. “I’m flummoxed,” he shrugged when asked whose ‘brainwave’ this catch-me-if-you-can PC was. “I really have no clue whose idea this is and who all are aware of it. Even I’m wondering where Aamir is.

The chase has just begun. I hope we can find him soon.” Playing games? Just in case you’re wondering what this cat-and-mouse chase is about, well, the 3 Idiots team as part of the promotional hype has just launched a game which will have Aamir Khan, with a string of clues, urging you to penetrate his disguise. If you can’t, it’s over and out, to a new city and a new set of players,  “And guess what, you can play this game even without a computer,” exults an exuberant VVC. What an idea, sirji. The first clue is to be provided by Aamir’s good friend and the country’s Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar himself, A special preview was being held for him at Ketnav Theatre, Bandra. “You can go there at 5.30 pm and take the game forward,” asserted VVC.  Not too many were ready to take the bait. “What if it is Sachin in disguise?” someone wondered. “May be even Sachin will go missing,” retorted another.

A film was screened on the occasion with Aamir taking us on a grand tour of his tastefully decorated home — yeah, it was really his ghar ek sapna — before coyly giving wife Kiran a farewell peck behind a closed door and us a cheery goodbye before disappearing from view… literally, virtually, oof, I’m clueless now! The film was screened twice, to “clue” everyone into the game. So was a song from the film, Behti hawa. The film left everyone clueless. May be the clue was in the song. The two previous songs, ‘All izzz well…’ and ‘Zoobie doo…’ had been ‘unveiled’ with special previews. This one that ends with Rancho disappearing into the blue needed a new strategy. May be this aankh micholi game was it. I think I know whose brainwave it was. Aamir Khan himself, given that when it comes to promotion he’s the Master of the Game.