Three is company: Soumitra Chatterjee, Mrinal Sen and Aparna Sen at Nandan

A day before the curtains come down on the 11th Calcutta Film Festival, Metro turns the focus on some facets that define Nandan during these days.

On screen

A festival day in the life of the Chosen Ones, the card-toting cine buffs who enjoy absolute access?

9 am show: Usually half-filled, mostly with the groggy-eyed film student, the budding filmmaker and the film school faculty who have just dragged themselves out of bed, often without even grabbing a bite. It?s the only peaceful show of the day as not a single cell phone rings in the hall.

11 am show: That?s when the ?crowd? actually starts trooping in. You can also spot the Tolly celeb, skipping a shoot to catch a Kieslowski.

3 pm show: The bridge between the day and the dusk shows. Often the time when star ? and student ? gangs go out to grab a bite. Haldiram?s for the light bite and La-Zeez for the leisurely lunch.

5 pm show: Time to catch a nap for all those who have caught three shows on a row. And so, there?s a snore here and a snore there. Add to that cell phones beeping every 15 minutes and the audience going cluck-cluck every time a gadget goes beep-beep.

7 pm show: The peak hour to see and to be seen and a must for all those who?ve had to give the other four shows a miss due to work. Also the time to smuggle in some jhaal muri or chicken cutlet, hoodwinking the frisker at the gate.

Off screen

Zooming in on some of the Lesser Mortals, the floating crowd interested in everything but films?

The star-struck: From youngsters to middle-aged women with kids. All they want is to keep an eye on the celeb count. And there?s usually quite an eyeful with June, Koneenica, Parambrata, Churni, Deboleena, Anindita, Bidipta, Arindam Sil, Koushik Sen, Anjan Dutt?

The ogler: He sits on the railing, stares, and often passes a comment. The space jam allows the bolder ones ? usually the middle-aged variety ? to brush past. And this time, he was joined by she ? hunk-hunting in groups around the canteen, or huddling here and there, all dressed up with just the right accessories, desperately seeking male attention.

The displaced lovers: They bear the brunt of all the madness surrounding cinema, their precious corners usurped by film buffs who don?t give a damn about romance. Nandan overrun, the Academy of Fine Arts campus, hardly any less crowded, is where they head.