Bowling Basu Over

The country may not have gone gaga over them but the crusty old West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu seems to have been bowled over by the unlimited dreams of Bollywood mega stars Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. Shah Rukh, who came to Calcutta last week to promote his film Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, met the octogenarian Marxist leader along with co-actress Juhi at the leader8217;s home. And Basu, unwilling to be taken off-guard during his tryst with the Bollywood titans, called Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Information and Culture Buddhadev Bhattacharya prior to the meeting to brief him about the Bollywood duo. 8220;I am outdated and don8217;t know much about films,8221; Basu said after the meeting. 8220;So I told Buddha to tell me about them. He told me this Shah Rukh chap is the No 1. in Bollywood.

I found him very smart and bright,8221; he said. And he flaunted his additional knowledge about Juhi with characteristic candour: 8220;I hear that girl, that Chawla, had won one beauty contest. Good, Good!8221; Basu alsoagreed to Shah Rukh8217;s request to watch his film and asked Bhattacharya to arrange a special show of Phir Bhi8230; at the State government-owned auditorium, Nandan, for him. 8220;What to do, the boy repeatedly requested me to watch his film, what is that? Some Hindustani, I suppose.8221; And if the Chief Minister was wowed by Shah Rukh, the Mumbai superstar too did not lag behind in heaping lavish praise on the veteran politician.

8220;He has an attractive personality, he is so charismatic,8221; Shah Rukh gushed and zoomed off to two of Calcutta8217;s movie theatres where his film was being shown.