CELEB HUNTING

April 2000: Hrithik arrives in the city fresh from his dazzling Kaho Na Pyar Hai debut. From his arrival at the airport till his departure in the evening, the city trails him relentlessly. A 5,000-strong crowd throngs The Park and goes berserk hardly deterred by the police lathicharge, as screaming fans from six to 60 jostle for a real-life peek at the lanky actor. A girl takes off her tees to get it autographed while a boy suggests that Park Street be rechristened Hrithik Roshan Sarani.

August, 2005: A crowd of more than 5,000 went out of control at Forum, the Elgin Road mall, as Aamir Khan stepped out of a black Mercedes, holding wife Kiran Rao's hand, for the promotion of his film Mangal Pandey. The shouts grew louder and the crowd inched closer to the duo standing on the escalator till someone made a grab at Kiran's spaghetti strap blouse. She dropped to her knees while Aamir sprang forward. The couple made a speedy exit. Next time Aamir gave the escalators a miss, while Kiran steered away from her sari-choli ensemble.

May 2008: Emraan Hashmi, Bollywood's serial kisser, arrives in town to promote Jannat and whips up a frenzy as rabid fans make a dash for him at Paradise cinema and South City Mall. So what if he hasn't had a hit since last year, the city gheraoes him, smothers him and brings the traffic to a halt. To flee delirious fans, Emraan rushes into a loo and hides behind actors' cardboard cut-outs.

Reel life, in Calcutta, obscures real life. To that extent.

And when Amitabh Bachchan came visiting in the second week of September for The Last Lear premiere, his fans screamed, cried and nearly fainted in the stampede that gripped South City Mall. If outside the lesser fans shrieked "Guru", "Boss" or "I love you", inside the auditoriums brimming with CEOs and Tollywood faces, the well-heeled ran to touch him: "Chhooye toh niyechhi, aar ki chai boss! (Have touched him, what more do you need!)"

Star power

From Hrithik to Emraan, any Bollywood celebrity worth his or her name, is prone to getting mobbed in the city. True, celebs are the new gods. With them invading our lives and every move of theirs being tracked, recorded and broadcast into our homes, it is natural that they inspire frenzy. Everyone wants to have a part of them. But why is Calcutta so desperate? The city has no qualms about exhibiting its fascination with glamour or fame.

One reason is that Calcutta does not get what it wants. "Calcutta is one city that most people skip. Most shilpis actually give our 'shilpo-friendly' (shilpo means both art and industry in Bengali) city a miss, so when they do come down people unleash themselves upon them," feels radio jockey and comedian Mir. "That's why the celeb hunger is greater here compared with Delhi or Mumbai, where people are fed on a healthy dose of stardom. Our starvation has led us to hero worship a Claudia Ciesla (a Polish model who was recently in Calcutta to shoot for a Bengali film), who people wouldn't bat an eyelid for in other cities. Anything phoren or non-Bengali gets lapped up," remarks Mir.

The city has repeatedly missed the boat when it comes to rock or pop acts, too. Apart from Ricky Martin on his philanthropic trips or Vengaboys jiving at Salt Lake stadium some seven winters ago, the country's "cultural metropolis" has been deprived of all good things. The rest of the country still thinks of Calcutta as a small town, a big city, at best, of yesteryear, a locale for faux retro films.

And who is there in Calcutta to look up to? Most local celebs don't have that kind of pull. The city always needed someone to look up to, someone huge whom it could call its own. After Satyajit Ray, there has been only one resident Calcuttan, a certain Sourav Ganguly, whose achievements have been "world class". So Bollywood celebs it is now.

Also because with too much Bollywood in daily life, it is celebs from Mumbai who personify achievement. Even small-time celebs do. Karan Singh Grover, television's latest heartthrob, was almost "kidnapped" by two Calcutta girls who insisted on escorting Dr Armaan of Dil Mil Gaye fame all the way to the airport!

"It's like encountering your dharmaguru. A strong attachment to somebody prized very highly that leads a rational man to irrational behaviour," says sociologist Prashanta Ray.

The frenzy is subtler in nightclubs and pubs. But these places record a higher footfall on star nights. "They don't go crazy seeing a celebrity but they aren't oblivious of their presence," says Namrata Ray, the manager (events & entertainment) of The Park.

Security scurry

The frenzy is a huge headache for organisers. For The Last Lear premiere with Bachchan and his entourage comprising a host of Mumbai and local stars, South City Mall was buttressed with 200 guards, help from the local police, a double line of mojo (aluminium crowd control barriers) barricading and security personnel to keep at bay nearly 50,000 people.

"We did a recce of the place and ran a drill the night before," says Paromita Ghosh, the director of Candid Communications, a PR agency. But buffer entries to fool the crowds, route plans and police picketing were not enough to curb the enthusiasm.

"We usually need to place extra security when working with artistes from Mumbai. We work with the police who give us feedback on certain locations. In Calcutta all you need to do to lure a massive crowd is just place a camera in public," says Sanjoy Das of Rituparno Ghosh Productions, explaining why they chose to shoot The Last Lear in Mussourie instead of in Darjeeling.

Crowd frenzy makes Calcutta more expensive. "Calcutta requires greater planning and a larger security force, therefore it's more expensive. The crowd does react more enthusiastically in Calcutta," says Abhishek Raina, the marketing head of Fame Cinemas. "We've seen similar frenzy in places like Pune and Nagpur but not in Delhi or Mumbai."

The crowds are hazardous for security personnel. Partha Biswas, the regional manager (sales and marketing) of G4S Security Services, feels that in Mumbai the crowd is more controlled, since shootings and premieres are more frequent and one needs access cards to gain entry into the venue where the stars are present unless it's an open arena. "But many of our boys have lost their watches and cellphones during recent celeb visits managing crowds. I lost mine too," rues Biswas.

Stars themselves can trigger off the frenzy by choosing to mingle with the crowd. They feel it's an act of love for their fans, but Calcutta agencies dread it. They think it's easier to keep the crowds at bay when the stars are restrained.

It wasn't easy steering away the crowds when SRK would venture out of his hotel room or veer into Eden Gardens during the IPL matches. "Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are averse to a backdoor entry. They want to walk through a crowd and acknowledge fans," says Ghosh, recollecting how the crowd went crazy and almost pounced on a warm and exuberant Ranbir Kapoor, in the city recently for the promotion of Bachna Ae Haseeno. Kapoor had wanted to pose for pictures with some fans, but had to duck for cover behind posters.

On the same day, he had met a frantic lady in her 50s, armed with a camera and a notepad, who had wriggled her way through hundreds to help herself get clicked with her Saawariya boy.

In Mumbai, Fame Adlabs Andheri, famous for its starry premieres on Thursday nights, hardly ushers in a crowd as explosive as the turnouts in Calcutta. "I was in Mumbai to attend the premiere of Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal at PVR Juhu where there were barely 30 people gathered outside. There is usually an initial excitement that fizzles out once the stars settle in. The media too is better organised, unlike in Calcutta, where it continues to chase a star till he exits," says Pradyut Gupta, a media professional.

The frenzy, of course, was always there. When Tagore died, crowds had descended on his dead body as the procession winded towards Nimtala Ghat, tearing away his hair and beard as memorabilia.

Be it a Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal match or a Singur-Nandigram debate, the city thrives on raw emotions. Which is often hurtful to those who inspire it. "Calcutta is driven by passion and this is what stimulates its reaction towards celebs too," says psychoanalyst Nilanjana Sanyal. "There is a typical emotionality in our nature that looks for an ego ideal or an emotionally significant person. Taking autographs brings about a physical proximity that lasts a few seconds and makes for identifiable satisfaction."

The city suffers from low self-esteem. It craves celebrity. Or despite the so-called generation of employment, Sector V, malls and flyovers, the city suffers from a lack in life. It has also forgotten to look within itself for cultural sustenance.

Sanyal doesn't mind the way the city behaves. It proves that the sense of social integrity and emotional tie is stronger in Calcutta compared to Pune, Chennai or Mumbai, which displays basic indifference, she feels. But people in Mumbai also don't have the time to stand and stare. "For Calcutta stars are still a rare thing. Maybe once more stars start coming in, the frenzy will die down," says Sanjoy Das.

Till then, we have Amitabh Bachchan's remark to consider. "I always tell Abhishek that whenever you are low in spirit or feeling down, go to Calcutta," he said recently. He was probably remembering the furore his son inspired during the shooting of Rituparno Ghosh's Antarmahal. "A tea-stall loaded with women came crashing down as Abhishek positioned himself at the Lahabari courtyard overlooking the main road," laughs Das.

So Abhishek is doomed either way — it's either the blues or a crashing tea-stall. Or is the city doomed?

VJ turned actor Luke Kenny, on his recent visit to the city for the promo of Rock On!!

"The response in Calcutta was absolutely alluring. I was quite taken aback when people flew down the steps as we stepped into one of the halls to greet the audience. It was quite scary actually but I guess it was in good spirit. Mumbai tends to be laid back in that sense 'cos they're used to the regular onslaught of film premieres and star visits."