It may have been Friday the 13th, but Max had reason to celebrate. The Extraaa Passion generated by a 'brilliant 2003' brought forth the bubbly at the Vie Lounge and Deck at Juhu in suburban Mumbai last weekend.

It was a rocking party all right. SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta beamed, still basking in the afterglow of the acquisition of cricket rights that enabled Max to shoot into the limelight, Rajat Jain rubbed shoulders with Mandira Bedi, the lass who redefined cricket commentary with her 'Extraaa Innings' on the channel and cricket legend Kapil Dev who set the pace for a racy evening marked by some sizzling dancers, both male and female.

And it ain't just cricket, insisted Max, that helped the channel grow in 2003. Blockbuster titles like Devdas, film festivals and a catch of 14 national and international awards for creative and technical excellence all helped to add reason to the celebration of passion at the Vie Lounge. Cricketers, actors, corporate honchos and advertising bigwigs were all there. The Bollywood meets Oscars décor, the orange, red and golden symbols of fire, flames, Bollywood iconic posters, time and era framed in metals and red carpets rounded off the evening.