Waiting for Julie

The road outside Pataudi Palace is the best place to get a glimpse of Julia Roberts. Or thats what they all think....

These days,the most happening place in Patuadi is the path. Its a narrow,unpaved road that links Pataudi Palace,a heritage hotel and a venue for occasional film shoots,and the nearby Ashram Hari Mandir. And now that Julia Roberts is shooting for her Eat,Pray,Love,this seems the most vantage point to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood starthats if you are willing to pitch your tent here along with the thelawallahs,the crew members,the logistics organisers,the security guards armed with their walkie-talkies,and the scribes.

If it wasnt for the nawab of Pataudi,cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan,most of us would probably never have heard of Pataudi,a small,dusty town in Haryana. As you drive from Delhi,past the glitzy high-rises in Gurgaon,Pataudi welcomes you with its dusty roads,buzzing flies,rickety Tempos,loitering cattle,and mom-and-pop stores.

A young man of 24 turns up at the gates of the Palace and is turned away. Its his third failed attempt,he says. I came here at five this morning. I want to see that famous actress, says Nitesh. He didnt know the name of the film,though.

Babbal does. It-pra-lav, she says,sitting at the counter of the kirana store she runs from her house.

Vishal,a 12-year-old,comes with some of his friendsall of them are in their school uniforms. For the last one week,Vishal has been faithfully making the rounds of the strip road,hoping to catch a glimpse of the actress of It-pra-lav. But Vishal knows more than just her nameShe has three children,two of them are boys.

Munshi Ram,who irons clothes outside Pataudi Palace doesnt care about Julie. The old man has seen many actors over the yearsAamir Khan,Salman Khan,Jackie Shroffand he couldnt care about another one.

Vijay,a security guard at the Palace,says he has seen three films of the actress but could remember only My Best Friends Wedding. Pehle uski rating number 3 thi,ab number 1 chal rahi hai, he says.

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More people come down the road. First,a man with a camel,followed by another with a bullock and a cart. Soon,three Tempos and a jeep rattle down the path. They had been brought in as props for a scene in which Roberts would drive by them in a black-and-yellow cab.

Gyanendra,who sells cups and scrubbers,gets ready for his shot. I have been told to walk slowly with my cart and when the car passes by,they will call out action, he says,settling down in his cart,waiting to be called. Abruptly,the publicist of the film declares that the shoot has been called off and will probably happen tomorrow.