Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is more than an hour late, but who wouldn't wait for the woman once dubbed the world's most beautiful?
Thousands of screaming fans with phone cameras aloft to capture the moment welcomed the Bollywood actress and former Miss World when she finally arrived at Melbourne's Federation Square on Saturday.
The star was accompanied by her daughter, Aaradhya, who was equally unfazed by the screaming hordes.
Rai Bachchan, who is in Victoria as a guest of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, hoisted India's national flag ahead of the nation's 70th Independence Day on Tuesday.
She said the attention her visit drew was "humbling," and "so, so overwhelming".
"I love you all, and once let's all say with pride, Jai Hind [Hail India]," Rai Bachchan told the cheering crowd.
The global beauty icon has starred in several Indian and international films, including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [I have already given my heart, beloved] and British production Bride and Prejudice, an adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
In the youth-dominated Hindi film industry, notorious for ruthlessly rejecting women once they reach a certain age, 43-year-old Rai Bachchan is one of few to continue working after having a child.
Rai Bachchan said she had only felt support from the audience.
"I have always been embraced like I belong to this large, extended family all over the world," she said.
"I have no reason to believe that there is any kind of rule-book of acceptance ... that audience follows; they like your movie, they like your work, they enjoy it if they are entertained ... if not, they let you know."
Not all her films are a success, but the fans don't seem to care.
At Federation Square, they hang on to her every word, cheer each kiss blown their way and plead for selfies.
As Rai Bachchan leaves, surrounded by her entourage, she stops and points to a child who she thinks is getting crushed by the crowds.
Then she is gone, leaving behind a swirl of saffron, white and green confetti (in the colours of the Indian flag) and thousands of smitten fans.
The Indian Film Festival runs until August 22.