Fans lap up Big B’s rooftop shoot

KOLKATA: Bechu Chatterjee Lane, which is usually flocked by Kali ‘bhakts’ who frequent Thanthania Kalibari every other day, saw an unusual crowd on Tuesday. The massive gathering, which brought traffic to a grinding halt, worship only one deity — Amitabh Bachchan. No wonder then that they will troop in to witness what their ‘god’ does best: acting.
In fact, it was the second day when Big B shot at Laha Bari.On Monday, many didn’t to know that Shahenshah was shooting there. But as the news spread, those who missed the action on Monday didn’t want to lose the opportunity on Tuesday. They started gathering on Bechu Chatterjee Lane from early morning. The lane was cordoned off, keeping the sidewalks free for onlookers and residents, so that the cars and massive vanity vans could be parked.
But none were complaining. They perched themselves on walls and the rooftops of neighbouring building for a dekko of the megastar. Many seemed disappointed since they got a view of Big B and other actors — Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan — only a couple of times in first few hours. It was earlier in the morning that Amitabh had acknowledged his fans by smiling and waving at them. The indoor shoot started around 8:30am and continued till 3pm. All this while, there were perhaps a couple of fleeting views of the actor.
But the wait did not go in vain as late on Tuesday, Amitabh went up on to the terrace, striding and chatting from one end to another, as part of the shoot. The crowd erupted in joy and the cheer refused to die down. Director Shoojit Sirkar and the actor had to finally signal people to stay quiet.
“I missed college for two days just for this moment. I am super-excited. I had expected to catch a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan as he would come out of the van. I never thought that there would be a roof-top shoot” said Singdha Ghosal, who had called her friends over as well.
All through the day, mobile cameras were busy and pictures were continuously getting uploaded on Facebook. At least 50 boys who live at a hostel opposite Laha Bari had camped on their terrace all day, giving college a miss. “Such things don’t happen everyday. For Big B, it’s just another shoot, but for us, it’s a lifetime’s experience,” said Ayan Patra, a student of Vidyasagar College. Even school children hung around on the pavement in school uniforms, not wanting to go home.
A rumour went around that chief minister Mamata Banerjee might visit Laha Bari. However, that did not happen.