Photo: Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez in Aladin

Secondly, Aladin is a fantasy movie from Bollywood with what looks like good production values. The last big-budget fantasy movie was Abhishek Bachchan’s superbomb Drona.

And, last but not the least, there is the beauteous Jacqueline Fernandez, ex-Miss Sri Lanka, who makes her acting debut with Aladin.

Photo: Jacqueline Fernandez

Aladin is a modern adaptation of the classic Aladin And the Magic Lamp.

The synopsis of Aladin on Eros international’s website describes the movie as the tale of a young orphan Aladin Chatterjee (Riteish Deshmukh), an orphan bullied since childhood by Kasim and his gang.

Photo: Amitabh Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh in Aladin

His life turns upside down when Jasmine (Jacqueline Fernandez) gives him a magic lamp. The genie Genius (Amitabh Bachchan) that comes out of the lamp wants to give him his mandatory three wishes and be done with it. He wants to end his contract with the Magic Lamp.

Photo: Sanjay Dutt in Aladin

Adventure ensues when ex-genie Ringmaster (Sanjay Dutt) turns up to wreak havoc on poor Aladin.

The movie stars Ratna Pathak Shah as Marjina and Sahil Khan as Kasim.

The first season of the tournament was launched across 8 major cities on January 16, 2009.

Riteish Deshmukh said that it was his love for the game that made him lend his name the T-10 Gully Cricket event.

“I have played gully cricket with my friends through my entire childhood as well as at my school, GD Somani, inter college for Jayant’s College and charity events for the film industry and Cancer Patients Association. So when Anup Wadhwan approached me, I immediately agreed,” he said.

Riteish Deshmukh, being the brand ambassador, will have to visit all the cities and towns where the matches will be played.

“When I have time, I may even play in a few. It’s the first time I am endorsing something and that too it’s not a product but a cause. I didn’t products earlier as I wasn’t ready for them. But now I am definitely looking at endorsements,” Riteish said.

Since the T-10 Gully Cricket tournament is primarily a talent hunt, only non-first class cricket players between 15 and 24 years of age, and from Tier 2 and 3 towns can participate in the tournament.

Sandeep Patil and other cricketers will select players for their respective cities and the matches will be broadcast live on DD Sports on Saturdays and Sundays, over a period of nine weeks.

The finale of T-10 Gully Cricket: Season 2 will be held on November 15, 2009, with about Rs 2.5 million as prize money that will be distributed to various winning teams.

“Market research has shown that the shortened form of cricket is a major hit with sports fans and we are keen to explore ways in which we can build on that enthusiasm,” says Reasonable Communications director Anoop Wadhwa.

Reports say that ad spends for T-10 Gully Cricket: Season 2 is around Rs 4 crore. Around 60 per cent of the spends will be pumped into outdoor and BTL activities, such as street-plays and roadshows.