John Abraham and Diana Penty lead Parmanu pride parade in CP

The mercury was touching 44 degree Celsius on Tuesday evening and most Delhi motorists out on the road had their car ACs on full blast in order to escape the heat. However, John Abraham and Diana Penty – who were in town to promote their upcoming film 'Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran' – had a different idea. The two actors travelled in an open vehicle from their hotel on

Ashoka Road

to

Connaught Place

’s inner circle in what was billed as the Parmanu

Pride Parade

. Their vehicle was followed by a cavalcade of bikers, most of them carrying banners and placards about the 1998 Pokhran

nuclear tests

and the film.

Participants of the parade carry banners and placards about the

Pokhran

nuclear tests and the film

Naturally, with John and Diana so visibly out on the roads, traffic came to a virtual standstill in CP. Even though Delhi Police had closed a section of inner circle for the parade, several bystanders and pedestrians started running and walking alongside the stars’ vehicle. Several two-wheeler riders abandoned their vehicles and rushed to the vehicle carrying the two stars in a bid to get a selfie with them. The two actors seemed quite impressed by the fans’ enthusiasm. “It’s so great to see and meet all the fans here and their energy is just contagious,” John said. The energy and enthusiasm got a bit too much, however, and the two actors’ plan of stopping near the B-Block parking and speaking to the fans had to be curtailed. As fans tried to get too close to their vehicle, bouncers had to push the crowd back and ensure the actors got a swift and event-free exit. After a rather brief halt, the parade simply took a round of the inner circle before heading back to the hotel.

Fans gather at CP inner circle to get a glimpse of the two actors

The fans were far from disappointed despite the curtailed duration of the parade. Diya, a student, said, “I just came out of the metro station and heard commotion. And there was John Abraham right in front of me. It was such a pleasant surprise.” Some motorists, however, were irked by the mini traffic snarls the parade caused in and around CP. Muktesh Singh, who works in CP, says, “They could have at least changed the timing of the parade. It was close to the rush hour and they were driving on busy roads, which meant that when the police closed the road, it led to a sizable jam near the exits.”

After a brief halt because of an unmanageable crowd, the parade simply took a round of the inner circle before heading back to the hotel

The stars waving at their fans

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