Reel meets real for Amitabh Bachchan fan

Kolkata girl Kankana Chakraborty, who interviewed Amitabh Bachchan in her first documentary, Women Prayed and Preyed Upon, and was referred to as a “fiery Bong” by Big B in his blog, will soon be seen in a short. The film, Ek Bachchan E Bohu Bachchan, will see her as a Bachchan fan that she is already known to be in real life.

Directed by Ranjay Raychoudhury, the film is about two friends who strike up an unusual bond because of one man. They then go through different phases in life — including jealousy — because of that man and eventually reinvent their friendship because of him. “That man is Amitabh Bachchan. Even though he is not physically present, he is present in spirit in every frame of this short,” said Kankana, who has returned from

Los Angeles

, where she is a working actor, to do this short.

Kankana plays 27-year-old Mamon in the film. She is a tomboy, who works in a tailoring shop. It’s because of her job that she manages to catch hold of clothes similar to what Bachchan wore in Hum. She now lives in those clothes. “She’s a flashy character, who mouths the superstar’s famous lines and thinks that she is his biggest fan. Her world revolves around Big B and the only villain in her story is her mother. Every time she dreams of reaching the superstar in her sleep, her mother wakes her up,” said the actress. Her friend is a 40-yearold rickshaw puller, played by Bidyut Das. The stage actor, who has to his credit many character roles in films and will soon be seen in a biopic on

Hiralal Sen

, plays a fan who keeps his admiration for Big B to himself. Every part of his rickshaw is stashed with photos of Big B. “The idea of the film is that there is no criterion to be Big B’s biggest fan, everyone is a fan in his own way. Many friendships are made and broken over him and stories keep happening,” said Kankana. The team travelled to Mumbai on Saturday and shot in front of Bachchan’s residence, Jalsa.

“The film wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Mr Bachchan’s fans,” Kankana told us, adding that they are planning to release the short on October 11 — Big B’s birthday.