Talk to John Abraham, if you're really lucky

The news report was clear: Dial +919892155509 to have a chat with Bollywood hunk, John Abraham.

Yes, it is as simple as that. But before we dismissed the Hindustan Times article as yet another cheap gimmick, the report went on to quote the actor himself who confirmed this piece of news as the solid truth; Abraham conceptualised the idea as part of a new promotion campaign to promote his latest film, “Jhootha Hi Sahi”, which is released across the UAE on October 14.

But before you stop reading the rest of this article and make a beeline for your phone, take note. It will probably be easier and less painful to get the pope on the phone than the sexy star.

What started as a fun experiment to see if Emirates 24|7 could indulge in a tête- é-tête with the star of hit films such as "Dostana" and "Garam Masala" turned into an act of sheer will power that still didn’t bear fruit a whole seven hours after the first attempt.

The messages altered between, “The Airtel number you are calling is currently switched off or outside the coverage area” to “The person you are trying to reach is busy on another line” and back to the first cold and disappointing words 30 seconds later.

I tried from different phones and at least two other journalists rang from their mobiles - to no avail.

At 10pm UAE time last night, we finally admitted defeat and determined talking to Abraham was best handled through his management agency, which at least guarantees us journalists at least five minutes of a human voice.

As for the rest of you, the line is expected to be active for two weeks, otherwise happy chatting with the pope.

Write in and tell us if you strike gold.