Bollywood gets a kick

Reel action be damned. Bollywood’s top brass is lining up to taste some real action instead. Reason? Football frenzy is fast gripping tinselville.
For starters, Ranbir Kapoor, a die-hard Barcelona supporter and a big fan of Messi, is all geared up to catch the star-studded Argentina team clash in a friendly with the national team of Venezuela in Kolkata on September 2.And following him would be the likes of Salman Khan, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan.
Ranbir, who is the first Bollywood star to have been approached by FIFA to become its face in India, will have director Anurag Basu and composer Pritam Chakraborty for company. In fact, team “Barfee” is slated to begin its Kolkata leg of the shoot around that time. Says Anilava Chatterjee, a close aide of Anurag, “When Pritam was approached to score the theme song for the event, he had expressed the desire to watch the match. Anurag too was keen on catching Messi play in Kolkata.
A few days back, he called up to inform that Ranbir, Pritam and he would be coming down for the same. Anurag even said that Ranbir is so kicked about the match that he wants to be on the field.” Anilava recalls how during the shoot of the television show, “Ke Hobey Biggest Fan” that had Anurag donning the anchor’s hat, the director broke down while
remembering his father and how they would watch the World Cup together. “Anurag is planning to catch the next World Cup, if all goes well,” he says.
And the trio, it seems, will be in august company. Bhaswar Goswami, executive director of the company that is organizing the event, says, “Tickets for Anurag, Ranbir and Pritam have been taken care of. Anurag and Pritam will be meeting me around July 20. Tickets will be handed over to them subsequently.” On being prodded on the celeb turnout at the event, Bhaswar says, “John Abraham, Salman Khan and family and Abhishek Bachchan have expressed the desire to watch the match. They have got in touch with my close friend, Chunkey Pandey, and I’ve assured them the needful. They are all welcome. And why not? Catching Messi live in action is a chance of a lifetime that not many are ready to give a miss.”
In 2008, Salman and Ranbir had participated in a
charity football match in Pune to raise funds for cancer patients. And now, Kolkata is all set to witness the big boys bond over football yet again. Set for a ball of a time?