Akshay frenzy grips Captial- Fans, onlookers throng Thamel

On May 2, a photo of Boudhnath Stupa was uploaded on instagram. It was by King of Bollywood Akshay Kumar! Then there was no stopping — his facebook, instagram and twitter pages were hounded by his Nepali fans.

That was not all. At the Hyatt Regency, where the actor is staying during his shooting of his new film helmed by director Neeraj Pandey, they waited for one glimpse of their hero.

It did not end here.

On May 5, Kumar was shooting at Thamel since 4:30 am and his fans just could not be stopped. They waited without any complaints — despite the rains — hoping to see him. But among all the fans there was this lucky chap — Gobin Pun, a staff at the Himalayan Java, who was lucky not once, but thrice.

“I met him as I was serving him food. Then I shook hands with him, and he also gave me an autograph,” said an ecstatic Pun as he flaunted his prized possession.

Then suddenly the crowd outside began howling. Kumar acknowledged their adoration by waving. And it was not just a blink-and-you-miss-wave. He stayed there for quite some time. All that one could hear was the chant: “AKSHAY, AKSHAY...” and the clicks of cell phone cameras.

Then one of the fans claimed to a foreigner standing next to him, “Oh, he will jump from there (rooftop) now.”

Astounded the foreigner asked, “Oh God! Really?”

Wales of laughter followed and the other fans put her at ease: “No no, not jump.”

That was the frenzy created by Bollywood’s Khiladi in the Capital’s heart.

An exclusive press statement issued by Friday Films late on May 5 to The Himalayan Times, calls this combination of Kumar and director Pandey “one of the most famous combinations of Bollywood”. The two have earlier worked in the con-caper Special 26, while Pandey has helmed the critically acclaimed and commercially successful A Wednesday.

Pandey’s new film with Kumar is not surprising, adds the statement, and it will be shot across the globe — the first stop being Nepal with Turkey, Oman, Abu Dhabi and finally India to follow.

The shooting has obviously caused a frenzy in the Capital. May 5 saw Thamel crowded with Kumar fans and interested onlookers with locals vying with visiting tourists for a glimpse of their hero.

The film has not only benefitted Kumar’s fans but has been an opportunity for locals to find work as well. A source close to the film unit said that over 150 locals have been hired to work on the crew of the film, while they have also hired more than 40 cars and booked over 120 rooms in different hotels.

About the expenditure, the film’s producer Shital Bhatia has been estimated to spend over Rs 2 million on this schedule, according to the press statement. “It’s a huge uplift for both the country and the film industry. We are amazed with the way the local people are welcoming us everywhere. We had an amazing shooting at Thamel today. Everyone around helped us, including the local authorities and shop owners in the market,” the statement quotes Bhatia as sayin.

source: the himalayan times,5 may 2014
photo courtesy: Dinesh Shrestha