India, Aug. 19 -- In the 2025 chapter of IPL, a robot-dog caught spectators' fancy with its cool actions on the field. It trotted gaily, did hi-fives, and even recorded lighter moments with a camera. Cricket fans immediately fell in love with the dog-robot 'Champak.'

Cut to the past. Audiences in cinema halls watched in awe and horror, when a cyborg, sent from the future, hunted the mother of a yet-to-be-born John Conner. Its assignment: eliminate the human threat to a superintelligent machine in its future battle against mankind for the control of the world.

The first Terminator movie was such a hit in 1984 that it went on to become a franchise, churning out sequels. Cut to the future. What if the playful 'Champak' was tasked with some...