The cruel month of April is no deterrence for Bollywood players trooping into Kolkata for shooting their films. Souvik Ghosh reports as lensman Avishek Mitra chases the stars braving the scorching summer in the City of Joy streets.
Amid the soaring temperature in Kolkata, Bollywood actors Kartik Aaryan, Kajol, Vidya Balan flew down to the city to shoot their respective films. The city is no stranger to Bollywood shoots, but this summer the tinsel town stars suddenly added to the hotness quotient of Kolkata.
Kartik, who now has a line of blockbuster films under his belt, has commenced his shooting for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
In the first morning since his arrival in the city in early April, Kartik shot on the Howrah Bridge, the iconic symbol of the city’s colonial heritage.
In the following days, Kartik spent his days having breakfast at Flurys in Park Street, shot at North and Central Kolkata in the outfit of ‘Rooh Baba’.
As he walked out of the eatery, Kartik, who will star alongside new B-Town heartthrob Triptii Dimri and Vidya Balan in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, was mobbed by his fans. He even satisfied his fans with some selfies.
A couple of days prior to Kartik’s shooting in Kolkata, the city witnessed the arrival of queen of 1990s Bollywood, Kajol, who began her scout by offering prayers at Dakshineswar Temple with her mother, veteran actress Tanuja.
Kajol teamed up with actor Indraneil Sengupta for their shooting in Park Street, a hub of eateries with a disappearing touch of the Britishers.
Kajol, who was seen in a pink jumpsuit, reached iconic tearoom and confectionery Flurys, then came out and got inside the vanity van. She again came out of the van, and walked towards Flurys as her shot began.
Reportedly, Kajol, Ronit Roy, Indraneil have been shooting for their upcoming horror film, ‘Maa’.
Bollywood has always loved Kolkata and its many layers to shoot for their movies.
In 2009, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali shot his film Love Aajkal in south Kolkata’s Lake Market with Brazilian actress Giselli Monteiro playing Harleen Kaur, a coy Punjabi girl. She was seen standing with her heart aflutter in the balcony of an imposing pink and white mansion as a turbaned Saif Ali Khan waits for one glimpse of her across the pavement, chasing her to Kolkata from Punjab.
The Saif-Deepika starrer recreated the 60s Kolkata while the city hogged limelight after Sujoy Ghosh’s mystery thriller Kahaani was picturized in Kolkata extensively.
Amid the craze for shooting in foreign locations, Kolkata with its many layers holds its own despite the fading charm of a British city where old buildings are being torn down randomly.
Images by Avishek Mitra / IBNS