The Girl Who Met Al Pacino
When Law of Attraction created the reality I wanted
Al Pacino and I at “Experience With” event in London (2023)
“THANK YOU FOR COMING” said Al Pacino to me when we met each other in London. And those words will always serve as a reminder to me that in your lifetime you can make all your dreams come true.
There are two kinds of people in this world: One who knows who Al Pacino is and the another who knows who Al Pacino is.
I don’t think I have ever come across any person who doesn’t know who Al Pacino is unless we are talking about living in the times when Charles Darwin was still working on his evolution theory (Jokes apart 😋)
I didn’t know the existence of the legendary actor myself until 2015 when I saw “The Godfather” (1973) movie. As soon as Al Pacino playing Michael Corleone in the Godfather movie appeared on the screen (in the wedding scene), I was literally blown away. I looked at his face and I questioned who this actor was. I instantly liked him. By the end of the movie when Michael turned into the Godfather he was meant to be, I was convinced and I told myself: I am going to meet this man one day.
Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and Kay Adams (Diane Keaton) in the Godfather movie (1973)
The Knowing
After this, I started watching all of Al Pacino’s splendid performances right from The Godfather Part 2, Dog Day Afternoon, And Justice for All, Serpico, Scarface, Heat, The Devil’s Advocate and many more. It was a treat and a joy to watch an actor bring so much life to the characters he played and especially through his eyes. It’s not that I had not seen any Hollywood actors' movies before and didn’t appreciate their talent but Al Pacino was certainly different. I didn’t know what aspect of Al Pacino made me his fan, whether it was the actor playing the character or the actor completely transforming himself into the character - I just knew he was one of a kind.
Snapshot of Al Pacino’s movie from Fastfilmography
Whenever I was going through a bad day, a disagreement with someone or was feeling low - it was Al Pacino’s movie scenes or his interview that brought a smile to my face and it remains true to this day. Back in 2015, when I told my friends that I would meet Al Pacino some day - some would laugh, others ridiculed but there was a voice inside my head that said “Priya, it's going to happen one day”. That was a thought I carried with me all throughout the years.
From 2015 to 2023, my life had changed completely from completing my undergraduate studies, pursuing civil service exams to now a postgraduate degree holder, a pandemic, loss of a loved one, life abroad and many changes I had faced in my life - the one thing that seemed to be constant is my adoration for Al Pacino. Although he is not active in movies as he used to be (except Irishman, What a movie!), I would rejoice in the fact that I exist in the same timeline as he does.
The Dream Board
Once in 2021, when I was writing down all the dreams that I wanted to achieve - the first one was meeting Al Pacino. For visualization and sending clear message to the Universe, I pasted a picture of me and Al Pacino standing next to each other where we were happily smiling. I started planning everything - the place where I would meet him, the cost and the budget it would require to make it happen, the timings of his theatre shows in LA (because obviously if I would want to meet him, I must travel to America). I planned till the last T. To the point that I gave myself 5 years to meet him - right from 2021 to 2026.
The thought that I would meet him one day was a thought that I always carried with myself subconsciously. The fact that I came from the tribal lands of Khanvel from the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli never once stopped me from dreaming about meeting a huge celebrity. Because in my mind, it was always possible. I never ridiculed that idea or I never forced that thought or obsessed about it. Maybe I always had a quiet confidence in the knowledge that it was possible and it was going to happen someday.
London Dreams
As fate would have it, I happened to be in London pursuing my Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2022 and everything started clicking then. Now one secret that I would like to share with everyone at this point is - you know how when your internet doesn’t work and then starts working and then you want to make sure it is working properly so you Google something. It could be anything - temperature outside, latest gossip or current news. Well my habit is to Google Al Pacino. It just is. I don’t know why.
So one day when I was at my Student Accommodation at King’s Cross in London and my internet was buffering - I typed in Al Pacino and immediately Google showed me that Al Pacino is coming to London. One of the event organizers called “Experience With” has invited Al Pacino to London. They organize a variety of international events providing fans from different parts of the world with unique opportunities to meet celebrities. I was shocked in amazement and I danced for a while before telling my sister that it was happening for me. The event was going to be a black tie event where audiences (fans) are expected to dress elegantly. The event would invite him for a stage interview where the audience would pose questions to him. It also included having a 3 course meal before the interview and an opportunity to click a picture with Mr. Pacino.
I was very happy that day and I immediately called up my family back at home (India) telling them I am going to meet Al Pacino. My family knew my passion for movies and my adoration for Al Pacino so everyone supported me in fulfilling this dream (Thank you, my people). That night I could not sleep in excitement. So, a year before I met him, that night, I opened my Notes in my Iphone and typed in the exact Instagram caption post describing my meeting with Al Pacino when I would meet him. Yes, the Instagram caption post that I wrote had the famous lines from the great Shahrukh Khan’s Om Shanti Om (2007) movie which goes like this: “Agar Kisi cheez ko agar tum dil se chaho toh puri qainat use tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jati hai” translating to “If you want something with all your heart, the entire Universe works to help you get it.” (Yes! A big movie buff - right here)
I started imagining what that day would be like and started preparing how that day would feel in advance. I started looking at the venue (Intercontinental Hotel, O2, London) walking towards that building, being greeted by the volunteers, them directing me to the ballroom where Mr. Pacino would be present. I googled the picture of the ballroom and I imagined myself sitting there with fans of Al Pacino similar to me. I then imagined being next to Mr. Pacino and telling him how I admired his work, how he has made an impact in my life, how I would feel clicking a picture with him, where I will go next to collect the picture and how I will come out happy with the big “Experience With” photo frame and my picture with Al Pacino in it. This was the manifestation that I carried with me from the day I got to know that Al Pacino was coming to London to the night before I met him.
23rd April 2023
Finally the day arrived. I was looking at the Instagram account of the organisers who informed me in one of their stories a day before that Al Pacino had landed in the UK from Heathrow airport. Trust me, I could not keep calm. Thinking he is in the same city as I am. Woohoo!
It was a Sunday and not a working day for me or Priyanka so after having my brunch, Priyanka and I rushed to the parlour to get ready for the event. The event was at 5 in the evening so we had plenty of time to get ready, grab some snacks and potentially slow down, however my excitement was through the roof with every ticking clock.
At 3:30 pm, we boarded the tube from Ealing Broadway riding the Elizabeth Line to Bond Street. In the tube, I could see passengers in the tube glancing at our dresses but no one made a comment or remark. That is one of the best things about London and the people - everyone is mindful of each other and does not cause any unnecessary queries or disturbance. Next, we changed the line to Jubilee to reach North Greenwich and then walked 8 minutes to reach South East London where the Intercontinental Hotel, The O2, Arora Ballroom was hosting the event.
Arora Ballroom, Intercontinental Hotel, O2, London
I could see men dressed up with their best dinner jackets, bow tie and 3 piece suits and women with their glamorous and classy dresses. All walking in unison towards the hotel. Every step that I took towards the hotel, in my mind I was stepping closer to Mr Pacino. When I was standing outside the hotel, all the flashes of my imagination started playing out in reality. We were standing in the queue where volunteers checked our entrance ticket. As we walked in, other volunteers took our jackets and directed us to go upstairs where the hall was located. As I went upstairs, I could see thousands of Al Pacino fans walking around (as I imagined) waiting anxiously for the event to begin. We clicked some selfies around and asked someone to click our picture with the standee of the event. I went to the window that was giving out lanyards for those who signed up to get a picture clicked with Mr Pacino. I received mine and I could not keep calm.
Later, Priyanka and I stepped into the Arora Ballroom hall. The scene was nothing short of a movie scene where royalties had their fancy parties.I was flabbergasted to see the scene. At one corner of the room, a team of orchestra players played the most melodious of tunes. At the other end was kept all of Al Pacino’s signed merchandise (to be auctioned later). There was a stage made with two chairs for the guest and the interviewer and the entire room was filled with tables with numbers on them. Every person looked their best and they were enjoying the evening. As we approached our table for the evening, I saw that all the tables were beautifully decorated with flowers, candles and shiny silverware. Each table had a brochure of today’s event. The waiters would come and serve us with some water and food. Priyanka and I sat with some elderly couple who looked like royalty themselves. As I looked around the hall and the table, I felt like I was one of the youngest fans of Mr. Pacino and a tiny one too, nevertheless the feeling that I belonged here and that everything that I imagined was playing out in real life took away any jitters that I was feeling that night. I couldn’t be more grateful. After the auction, I desperately waited for the man of the hour to enter the room. And that moment finally arrived 😀
Before he entered, a cinematic video mosaic of all of his great works was shown and as soon as it finished, the man climbed up the stairs waving to each of his fans. Everyone stood up for Mr Pacino to welcome him and kept cheering his name for almost 2 minutes. There he was. I saw him live, in person, being in the same room as he is, hearing his voice in person. After all these times when I heard him only in interviews online and watched him on screens, I saw him and I was elated, excited, emotional and panicky. All emotions at once. What can I say about the man - He was a delightful and energetic force of a man. He must have been a bit older but the way he talked and the way he moved radiated a positive, young and vibrant energy from him. He answered the questions from the interviewer politely. He was very humble and charming. He patiently answered the audience's questions. He excitedly told the audience about his book that he was writing then (Sonny Boy) and all the projects that he was working on. He seemed as if he was just getting started with his career. So impressive and inspiring. The interview went superbly well.
Picture Time
Later, came the time for the pictures. Priyanka waited for me outside another room where the audience who had lanyards to click pictures with him stood in a long queue. I mean literally long. It took at least half an hour before we could enter the room where he was. I was contemplating on all the things that I would say to him. To be honest - I had three to four things to say to him which I was eager to let him know. Flashbacks of his movies came to me while waiting in the line for him. I remembered my dream board that I made where I had a picture of him and I together that I pasted to bring that dream to reality. Before entering, the volunteers took all of our belongings to be kept in a safe box - yes my mobile phone too (so no selfies there) + I had a small gift for Mr Pacino but that was asked to be kept in the safe box too but I just couldn’t be bothered because it was happening for me.
Alright here I was. In the room. Just two people in the queue before me who were clicking pictures with him. While I was waiting for my turn, someone from the team commented that they liked my dress and I thanked them which gave a boost to my confidence. Now it was my turn to meet the legendary actor, the Academy Award Winner, my dream - Mr Pacino. As soon as I walked towards him, I was speechless (yes, my Om Shanti Om moment).
A scene from Om Shanti Om movie (2007) - Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone
All the words and things that I wanted to say to him, I forgot. I went completely dumb. His presence was very magnetic, positive and mesmerizing. When I went towards him, I simply said Namastey and bowed my hands in front of him. Mr. Pacino gave me a smile and a delightful nod in response to my Namastey and I could only say to him “I am your big fan”. That’s it.
We then clicked a picture together. A picture that will always be a reminder of my devotion towards him and turning my dreams into reality. We both look good in the picture by the way (just like the one I visualized). After we clicked the picture, Mr. Pacino told me smilingly “Thank you for coming” and those words were enough to remind me that in your lifetime you can make all your dreams come true. 🥰
As soon as I was walking outside the room, there were some videographers who were taking comments from the audience on their experience. When someone asked me how I felt - I said I just turned my dream into reality. Later, I collected my belongings and also my picture with Al Pacino with a huge frame (I imagined this moment a year ago) and went straight out to meet Priyanka who was so patiently waiting for me. 👭
I ran towards her with my things in hand as she captured me in a video where I cried happily and shared my experience of how all of it went with Mr Pacino. That night remains the most memorable night of my life as I went home in my cab looking at London and how beautifully it lit up that night just for me. Thank you London for this wonderful experience. Thank you Experience With for this precious memory. Thank you Mr Pacino for being exactly how I imagined you to be. They say you never meet your heroes but I was not one of them. I was the girl from Khanvel, Silvassa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli who believed in her dream, who was confident that if there is someone who was deserving to meet Al Pacino, it was me (Not being arrogant, but confident) 😎
Birthday Boy
So, 25th April, on Mr Pacino’s birthday, I celebrate, cherish and appreciate his talent, his devotion to theatre, his inspiring personality and his outstanding contribution to movies that left an indelible mark on fans all around the world. Join me as I wish him Happy Birthday and watch some of his finest performances again. If I were you, I’d start with:
The Godfather (1973)
The Godfather Part 2 (1974)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Serpico (1973)
Scarface (1983)
Carlito’s Way (1993)
Al Pacino’s movie
One take away from my experience is: You can make anything possible for yourself. Your reality will bend and accommodate any experience you want to have in your life. You must keep faith and belief. Just know in your heart that you are deserving of the dreams that you wish to achieve and you will see that your dream is within the grasp of your hand. Keep dreaming! Keep achieving! 🤗
