Oscar nomination-Lincoln: Anil Ambani

20 Jan, 2013, 05.47AM IST, ET Bureau

Thanks to Oscar nomination, they now call me Lincoln: Anil Ambani

MUMBAI: It is close to sunrise at the Marine Drive. The sun is about to rise across the Arabian Sea, as Anil Ambani, clad in skin-hugging lycra, and protected by joggers glasses, runs on the parapet of the Nariman Point promenade. He neatly dodges people who are either practising yoga, or are resting on the wall. Accompanying him is his bodyguard.

A day before the Mumbai Marathon, Ambani is just warming up for the big day. He is saving on the energy quotient for Sunday's 21-km run, but agrees to interact after his strenuous workout. His trainer from South Africa, Heath Matthews, is close at hand, watching his every step. His bodyguard shadows him as he disappears into the crowd, slowing down when his boss slows down, and pacing up a step behind when his boss cranks up speed occasionally. In an interaction with 15 of his top CEOS, his mantra was to stay fit and exercise diligently as this was the best message you can give to shareholders.

In a rare one-on-one interaction in many years, Ambani was spontaneous and cheerful, warming up to his favourite topic, his philosophy of running. He didn't take questions on the business, except on the blockbuster Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln.

"We have 12 nominations. It's absolutely a wow feeling. It's very funny. I was in Chennai for five days for my niece Nayantara's wedding, and weddings in India are about thousands of people. Celebrations, dinner, lunches and drinks, and through those five days, a very large number of people there referred to me as Lincoln (laughs). There really can't be a better recognition for Steven (Spielberg) and Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Lincoln, and the rest of the cast of Lincoln and the entire team at Dreamworks. It makes us all very proud. I sincerely hope their efforts are recognised. We'll wait and watch what happens on February 24. It's a good omen, as 24th is also my respected mother Kokilaben's birthday. We have her blessings. We can't have a better day for the Oscar awards."

Ambani starts his day well before the crack of dawn and his routine includes a punishing run on the Marine Drive promenade and other parts of the city. "I've a simple math. A day consists of 24 hours. We work for 10 hours, and eight hours we need to sleep. This leaves us with six hours. We need an hour to eat, an hour to read, and an hour to shower. Is it not possible to find one hour for our health? And you will still have two hours left for anything to do!"

Ever since the start of the Mumbai Marathon in 2004, running has become a major exercise routine for a number of people in Mumbai.

"I call this meditation with eyes open. Usually, people close their eyes when they meditate. I meditate with my eyes open. When you run, you can dream of anything," he sums up.