Can Amar Singh be far behind? The politician in the front seat of the stars’ car. (AFP)

Mumbai, Jan. 15: Festoons and placards crying “Ash-Abhi We Love You” jostled with various spellings of “Congratulations” on torn A4-size papers this morning on the pavement outside Jalsa, Amitabh Bachchan’s home in Juhu.

“It’s the toughest beat. There’s a circus here at the drop of a hat,” grumbled Shanti Jadhav, a corporation sweeper.

“These media people are crazy about Bachchan saab — they come in hordes and leave the place littered. Look at these scraps of paper, these banana peels and empty packs of potato chips! I dread the days when there is some news about the Bachchans.”

By 7 am, though, Shanti and her colleagues had cleaned up the roads.

“Shaadi ka ghar hai, yeh sab to hoga hi (It happens, there’s a marriage in the offing, after all),” shrugged a younger Manohar, not minding the extra work.

Monday morning saw just a handful of onlookers keeping vigil outside Jalsa. The party was over and Mumbai had, as usual, moved on.

Not the news channels, though. Their vans stood guard outside the house, wary of losing a single sound bite or shot to a rival channel.

A hubbub and a rush broke out as Abhishek and Jaya Bachchan left early in the morning to catch a flight to Jaipur, where both are shooting for Goldie Behl’s Drona. But the tinted car windows stayed tightly shut.

Later, some of the reporters had the privilege of trooping into Jalsa when Amitabh decided to give interviews to some media groups about the latest Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek starrer Guru.

Outside, the fans stopped momentarily, collected the tidbits from the reporters and walked on.

“I’m on my way to pick up my son from school. I usually take the adjacent short cut but today I asked my driver to pass by Jalsa,” said Shalini Waswani, who stopped by for five minutes.

The neighbours didn’t seem to mind. “We feel honoured to be Bachchan saab’s neighbours and are very happy for the family,” said Manek Chand, who lives in an adjacent block of flats. “We watched from our balcony till late last night but couldn’t spot anyone on Jalsa’s lawns. I guess they kept it all indoors.”

Most passers-by were keen to know the wedding date. A source close to the family said two dates were being considered: February 19 and March 7.

“Mr Bachchan is keen to hold the marriage early so that his ailing mother, now admitted to Lilavati Hospital, can be a part of it. But Abhi and Ash have a whole lot of shoots lined up. They’re trying to see what can be done,” he said.