Times of India performs the maha aarti at Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai for the past 11 years. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has always been a part of this maha aarti. Bachchan family is Ganpati bhakt and this time Amitabh brought Aishwarya Rai Bachchan along with him for aarti.

After arriving at the pandal, Aishwarya ensured she has her father-in-law with her in the huge crowd. The crowd was unmanageable and even the security barricades broke due to people falling with it. The queue was so long that the devotees were standing in the queue for over 24 hours.

When asked what Ganpati bappa means to you, Amitabh answered that Ganpati is vighnaharta, shraddha, protection. He further said "Itne log aate hain matha tekne ke liye, hamein lagta hai Bhagwan unki sun lete honge. Unki sun rahe hain toh hamari bhi sun lein." Bachchan senior revealed that his grand-daughter Aaradhya is just three-and-half years old but she knows the full Ganpati aarti by heart. She sings the aarti by hugging Ganpati bappa. She has been taught to sing aarti like that.