Amrita Arora rescues Akshay after Katrina ditches

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Amrita Arora: Gallery

Akshay Kumar was left in the lurch by Katrina Kaif last Friday when she opted out of a Diwali show co-ordinated by him.
Says a source, “It was a Diwali party (held on November 3) which is hosted by one of Akshay"s friend Kishore and his partners in Hong Kong every year.

It"s an annual event and Akshay is always a part of it. It"s a small gathering of close friends and Akshay puts up a performance along with a few other stars. This year it was supposed to be Akshay, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Sajid Khan, Tanushree Dutta and Karan Johar was to host a segment of Koffee With Karan."

No show

Everybody turned up at the airport on Friday night except Katrina. At 10 pm she called Akshay and told him that she couldn"t make it as she was unwell. Says a part of the troupe, “A frantic Akshay was heard calling up other stars and asking them if anyone could make it at such short notice.

It"s Diwali time and most actresses are booked for shows or performances. Everyone was feeling sorry at Akshay"s plight, then Amrita Arora came to his rescue and agreed to hop on to that plane at the last minute."

Amrita was getting ready to go for a party but she cancelled that, packed a bag and rushed to the airport. A friend of the actress adds, “Amu had just come down from a LA trip on Thursday so she barely had time to rest. She was up and rehearsing by Saturday morning again."

Viral fever

According to another source adds that Katrina has been down with a viral attack for the last week. Says the source, “The attack has left her face puffy and swollen as a result of which she couldn"t attend even the Race event last week to Delhi.

There"s a big 'if" whether the fever will subside s Katrina has to leave for Vipul Shah"s Singh Is King shoot in Australia tonight. She stars opposite Akshay Kumar in the film."

Amrita who returned yesterday gushes, “It was an awesome show. I was more than happy to do it. I can"t say no to Akshay. I think he"s a great actor and a fantastic human being. I respect him a lot." Despite numerous attempts, Katrina remained unavailable for comment.