Mithun invites Heroes for maha aarti

Shahrukh Khan did the dhunuchi dance at a Durga Puja mandap in Kolkata last Saturday. And today, Brand Ambassador Mithun Chakraborty has invited the cast and crew of Heroes to attend the grand aarti at the Badamtola Durga Puja in Kolkata.

Mithun admits, "I invited the cast and crew of Heroes to participate in the maha aarti at Badamtola. Sohail (Khan), Vatsal Sheth and producer Vikas Kapoor are expected to attend. Vikas, the producer of Heroes, is a dear friend, and I enjoyed working in the film hence the invitation to all."

Mithun is the brand ambassador of the Badamtola Durga Puja. The actor will be dressed in the traditional dhoti-kurta for the maha aarti. He says that this is the first time that a puja has been branded, "I want the people behind this grand industry (Pujas) to flourish like the dhaki players and the idol makers. I want at least one puja earning to go to them for the full year and I am very sure that after seeing me, some other star will brand some other puja tomorrow. I hope the corporates too join in some big way."

When quizzed if he was paid to be the brand ambassador, he says, "Money has never been a criteria. The request came from a person who is very close to my heart almost like a younger brother. I wanted to stand by this cause. Tomorrow, if another star becomes a brand ambassador and charges mega bucks, I have no problems with that. At least, my cause will be fulfilled because wherever there is a big star, a big corporate will follow."

After the maha aarti Mithun will be flying off to Hyderabad to cheer his ICL team, The Royal Bengal Tigers, which will play against the Lahore Badshahs of Pakistan on October 12.