IN PICS: Amitabh Bachchan rides bicycle through Kolkata for Piku shoot

Amitabh Bachchan shot for Piku, riding around the city on a bicycle
Who's that guy? Ordinarily, the sight of an elderly gentleman in a flowing pink kurta, blue sleeveless sweater, grey trousers, strands of silver-grey hair refusing to stay put under his grey floppy hat, pedaling a rather ramshackle bicycle a tad nervously would not have resulted in too many glances from passersby.But Sunday was no ordinary day... for not everyday does Kolkata get to watch a Big B shoot.
As AmitabhBachchan cycled along the tram lines at Nonapukur, scanning the pavements, shops and buildings from behind his thick glasses, his six-foot-three-frame resting uneasily on the two-wheeler seemed vaguely familiar to many from a distance.

But was it actually him? Why would Indian cinema's biggest star be cycling in Kolkata early in the morning?

It was, indeed, the megastar ��� shooting for ShoojitSircar's film Piku, that will keep him in his 'sasural' for the next seven days. The film has him posing before the camera on Kolkata streets after many years. And even though he was focused on the job at hand, Bachchan seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the outing. In between his cycling assignment ��� the actor was searching for his lost grandson in the sequence ��� he chatted with unit members and listened with rapt attention everytime director Sarkar passed instructions.
Also Read: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika shoot for Piku in Kolkata
Once the camera started to roll, Amitabh transformed himself magically. With a slight stoop, a paunch and the thick glasses, the actor turned into a harried old grandfather. As he cycled stiffly along Red Cross Place during an afternoon shoot, it was difficult to recognize him. A little earlier, the deserted road had suddenly sprung to life as the star had alighted from a black Mercedes-Benz and was quickly escorted into a huge make-up van. When he emerged 10 minutes later, the crowd had swelled. Police cordoned off the road as the camera followed his cycle on a car. He pedalled slowly down Red Cross Place, swerved left and entered Old Court House Street. Bystanders, initially taken by surprise, burst out in delight. Cries of "Bachchan! Bachchan!" were heard as he cycled on.

The superstar himself was just as delighted to be back in the city, as was evident from his tweets.
"Kolkata shall always hold a special place and space within .. a 'city of joy' that energises you with intellect and passion !!" he had posted in the morning. On arrival to the city, his tweet was: "In 'PIKU land'...!! Too many memories flashing by as the drive from the airport ends... but so much more to come in the days ahead. And in a few hours to be among the streets of Kolkata .. nostalgia memories already test the mind .. Kolkata a joy ever !!"

Also Read: Shoojit Sircar plans to shoot with Big B in Kolkata
For rickshaw-puller Mohammed Kalim, it was a red-letter day. Along with four other rickshaw-pullers, he was asked to station himself on the road, within the shooting zone. "This is really overwhelming. Watching Bachchanji from such close quarters... I have been pinching myself from the morning," he said.
Saikat Mukherjee, too, was just as excited. Serving as a dummy for the megastar, Mukherjee paced up and down the pavement as he waited for the shoot to commence. Wearing the same attire as Bachchan, the Tollywood bit-role actor looked almost like the man himself. He didn't have to fill in for Amitabh on Sunday, but he might yet be needed, said a member of the crew. "Even if they don't need me, this is a dream come true. Having asked to be his dummy is an honour in itself," he gushed.
On Monday, Bachchan will be shooting at the Burdwan House in Alipore along with co-actors DeepikaPadukone and Irrfan Khan.