B-town aims Delhi now

Wondering about the sudden influx of stars in the city, their frequent spotting at parties and all the hullaballoo around movies promotions? While, Mumbai might be home to the stars, Delhi, it seems, is the place that these stars turn to for film shootings and now promotions.
Even though Mumbai, with the entire Bollywood cast and crew based there, might seem as a more practical choice, Delhi seems to have caught the fancy of stars and directors for a different reason.As Avika Gaur of “Balika Vadhu” fame, who was spotted in the city recently, says, “I love the Delhi crowd. In Mumbai, every second person is a star, so the appreciation is divided. But yahan toh bahut zyada pyaar milta hai,” So, Delhi appears to be a hit with filmmakers not just for its locales but for its locals as well.
Agrees, VJ and actor Cyrus Sahukar, “Delhi as a city is much more receptive to stars and the enthusiasm level is fantastic. In Mumbai, there are 500 TV channels filming 24 hours in a day, and with all the actors staying there you are bound to run into them while you’re shopping, dinning etc. So, of course, the novelty factor is missing there.” The funny man has more gyaan to offer on the recent surge of promotional activities in the city. Says Cyrus, “The promotional activities also have a lot to do with the fact that many movies are being shot in Delhi these days, for instance “Aisha”. In fact all the three movies that I’ve acted in — “Rang de Basanti”, “Dilli 6” and “Aisha” were Delhi-centric, so the promotions that follow are obviously held in the city. Also, some of the most interesting and young talent come from the city, so promotions are held here.”
The excitement level for B’wood stars in Delhi is intense, a testimony being the promotions of Mani Ratnam’s “Raavan”, where Abhishek with entourage, in tow, traveled to ten different locations in the city, in a span of ten hours, promoting the film. And when the star couple – Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan, landed at a press conference in Gurgaon, the crowd went berserk, screaming and pushing fellow shoppers, just to catch a glimpse of the stars.
And with such a hue and cry over stars, it’s no wonder that Prakash Jha wasn’t allowed to promote “Rajneeti” in Delhi University. While, sources believed that the movie’s similarity to India’s leading political family may be the reason, but the police cited other reasons saying that they wanted to avoid activities that often lead to a lot of hungama. And to add to the list of promotional events, the entire khandaan of Salman Khan flew down to the city recently for the music launch of their home production “Dabangg”, and got many positive responses from the city folks.
And the fans seem more than happy to have their favourite stars gracing the city for film promotions. “Big stars in Delhi is rare sight, so it’s cool when they do come, even if its to promote a movie,” says 25-year-old Nipun Sood. Adds Mehek Jain, another young fan, “I was really excited to see Ranbir Kapoor at the “Rajneeti” debate, he was really sweet, and interacted with everyone around.”
So while fans rejoice in celeb spotting, stars and filmmakers rejoice in the publicity and appreciation that the city has to offer. It’s a win-win siatuation for all!
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