Stars of Indian cinema and Sri Lankan cricketers played a celebrity cricket match to raise funds for reintegrating former child soldiers into their communities, during the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend celebrations that ran from Thursday to Saturday.
Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Sunil Shetty played alongside Kumar Sangakkara's Sri Lankan line-up in one of the key features of the IIFA celebrations in Colombo.
Proceeds from the match were donated to Cricket for Children, an initiative of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) authority and Unicef, the UN Children's Fund.
Earlier this year, former child soldiers and other vulnerable children were trained as cricket peer leaders as part of a partnership between the International Cricket Council, Sri Lanka Cricket and Unicef.
SLC and Unicef are now supporting the peer leaders to organise cricket games among youth in their communities of origin.
Actor Vivek Oberoi told reporters last Wednesday that he was delighted to join the initiative aimed at supporting war-affected children.
He explained that he has been "working with a lot for children" throughout his life and stressed that it is imperative to "rehabilitate and heal" children caught in armed conflicts.
However, some film artists and directors have protested against Bollywood stars participating in the IIFA Weekend, citing alleged killings by Sri Lankan forces of ethnic Tamil civilians in the final stages of the island's civil war.
Sri Lankan armed forces last year defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels, who were accused of forcibly recruiting child soldiers to fight for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.
The protesters were from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where the residents have family and cultural links with Sri Lanka's Tamils.
Oberoi brushed off the protests, saying: "I don't believe in building wars. Building wars divides the world further. We must build bridges for love and peace."
Among the stars who participated in the cricket match were Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Shipa Shetty, Lara Dutta, Ajay Jadeja and Irfan Khan.
Sangakkara said cricket could be used as a force for change, bringing hope and healing to vulnerable children.
Sri Lanka Test cricket stars Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan also played in the match.
Sri Lanka wanted the event, which was televised in 110 countries, to promote the island as a tourist destination. The weekend also included a business forum and a fashion show. - AP