Kolkata's most wanted

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Without them, no event would be considered happening and successful</span><br /><br />From a football tournament to a restaurant opening, a puja pandal to a book launch, a jewellery store to a tsunami fund raising event -- you''ll see them everywhere. And these events could take them anywhere from a plush five-star venue, a Page 3 party to even a remote village for a sports day function. Considering the dearth of celebrities in the city, a handful of five to six people are clearly the busiest lot . <br /><br />A hot favourite of event organisers, actress June is one of the busiest and most commonly seen faces doing the rounds. "I feel my USP is my next-door-girl image and that I''m pretty attractive. But most of the invitations I accept are because of my friends or for charity. I am very choosy before saying ''yes'' to any," says June. <br /><br />If June''s pretty face is a permanent fixture in such events, then writer Sunil Gangopadhyay and artist Suvaprasanna are a close second in this popularity list. "It''s difficult to say ''no'' though I don''t enjoy attending them. The only ones I say ''no'' to are religious events," said Gangopadhyay. <br /><br />Then there are odd occasions when a celebrity is invited for an event which is remotely related to his area of expertise. "I was once invited to open a football tournament. I don''t think I had ever touched a football. When they asked me to kick the football, I didn''t even know the right way to do it," laughed Suvaprasanna. <br /><br />Most of these personalities reportedly charge a fee for attending these events, the reason being that usually such occasions are time-consuming affairs. Explained tabla player Bikram Ghosh, "Since I spend a considerable amount of time that could have been used more creatively for my own growth, I accept an endorsement fee when asked to attend launches. Now, I''ve cut down on the number of launches because it affects my exclusivity. Moreover, my endorsement fees are also higher now. That way, I don''t lose out on money either." Ghosh charges Rs 20,000 per event and attends an average of two events every month. Said model turned painter Piu Sarkar, "When it''s a commercial venture, I charge anything between Rs 6,000-Rs 8,000. Once I had even charged Rs 15,000. This year, I have already done 15 launches. If I''m helping an NGO, I try to coordinate with the media as well. But I don''t do that for commercial ventures. A celebrity has self-respect and it''s beneath my dignity to call up the media and ask them to send photographers since I''m launching a product. But I would never endorse cigarettes."<br /><br />For many of them, these are occasions to cultivate their media and public relations. Actress Koneenica confesses, "They are good pre-publicity opportunities to reach out to the common man. Of course, it''s good money. For example, if I go to a village for an event, it obviously helps in spreading a word about me. But if I get the feeling of being over-exposed, I cut down on my appearances in such events."<br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">caltimes@timesgroup.com</span></div> </div>