Tom Cruise: I would love to come back to India

It was the longest red carpet walk.

Tom Cruise, who was in Mumbai to promote his film Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, spent two hours on the red carpet with his co-stars Paula Patton and Anil Kapoor.

Dressed informally in a blue shirt and jeans, the Hollywood actor interacted with his fans, the media and some Indian stars gathered at the IMAX theatre, which was screening the latest Mission Impossible installment.

Cruise chatted with the media, clicked pictures with his fans and grinned at anyone who caught his eye.

"Anil is a great actor and an incredible host," Cruise said. "I kept telling him that I have wanted to come to India all my life. Yesterday, when we were at the Taj Mahal in Agra, I told him, you have to pinch me. I can't believe I am here. The atmosphere, the people are very nice here. I'm happy with the love and appreciation from my fans. India is an amazing place. I will definitely love to come again."

Cruise seemed pretty excited about the fact that MI4 was releasing in India before it released in the US.

 "Oh, I didn't know that!" he exclaimed. "As I said earlier, I've always wanted to come here. I told my team no matter what, I am going to India."

Paula Patton was just as excited about coming to India. "It's a surreal feeling to be here," she said.

Looking dazzling in an orange dress, Patton shared her experience of working with Cruise. "It was a dream come true. He is an inspiration in himself. Tom is an incredible actor and even better human being," she said.

Interestingly, Paula also seduces Anil Kapoor in the film. "In the film, his character is shown to be very rich and charming. I was successful in seducing him and he felt into my trap very easily," she winked.

Patton seemed keen to work with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. "I know Aishwarya Rai," she said. "She is absolutely gorgeous and a great actress. I would love to work with her."

The film's climax has been shot in parts of South Mumbai. While Cruise himself did not shoot in India, his body double had been spotted.

But the actor denied that.

"No, we didn't have a body double," Cruise said. "We shot the wide shots here, so it didn't require me to come down. I had too much work back in Los Angeles. I was disappointed that I couldn't come and shoot in Mumbai."

Cruise, who has been working in films for three decades now, has done some breath-taking stunts in MI4. One of the stunts requires him to dangle on Dubai's Burj Khalifa -- the tallest building in the world.

"I am afraid of falling," Cruise laughs. "I am not afraid of heights, but I just said to myself don't fall."

The actor reprises his IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agent Ethan Hunt in the new film. Hunt is accused of a terrorist bombing in Kremlin, Moscow.

Cruise has co-produced the film. "I dreamed of making a movie since I was four years old. This is the 20th film that I am producing. I produced the first part way back in 1996. I never thought it would come so far. I am glad it's become a franchise," he said.

Will this be the last film in the franchise? "This is surely not the last film," he answered. "There are lots of stories to tell and lots of places to go with this franchise."

Cruise claimed that he became friends with Anil Kapoor when he gave away the Golden Globe Award to the Slumdog Millionaire team in 2009. At the time, Kapoor had invited Cruise to India, and the Hollywood star had accepted.

"I am very happy working with him. We were happy when he came on board the movie," Cruise said.

 Kapoor plays a business tycoon called Brij Nath.

Cruise was well aware of Indian cinema. "I know some of your films. You make so many movies. You have made many great films, and have great filmmakers and actors here," Cruise said.

Kapoor felt really proud about being a part of such an extraordinary event. "India is the third largest economy in the world and has become an important destination from the business point of view. I am sure my contemporaries will be a part of Hollywood films in the coming years. I would love to see Hollywood and Bollywood work together. I told Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Ranbir Kapoor that they can become huge international stars as they have the potential," Kapoor said.

Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam also walked the red carpet, along with the Players team -- Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh and director duo Abbas-Mustan. Tamil superstar Dhanush was also present at the red carpet.

A 1500-strong crowd gathered at the venue for a glimpse of Cruise. Girls screamed, 'I love you, Tom' and 'We want Tom.'

Outside the theatre, Rishi, 9, and Smeet, 10, wondered what the commotion was all about, and waited to see who the actor in question was.

"Anil Kapoor is coming along with some American actor," Rishi explained to Smeet, to which the latter immediately said, "They will arrive in a limousine. But I guess Anil Kapoor will come in an Innova."