Stumped by weather Empty stands for celebs, Farhan rocks

Bollywood actor-director-singer Farhan Akhtar (top) wows the 6,000-plus crowd at BIT-Mesra with popular numbers like Main aisa kyun hoon and Socha hai, while Tollywood superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee gamely faces empty stands at JSCA greens in Ranchi on a wet Sunday. Pictures by Prashant Mitra

Be it star-studded cricket or a family outing, a gloomy Sunday morning draws just lazy yawns. But, it is a different matter if the Farhan Akhtar is rocking and crooning Socha hai in the open.

As Ranchi woke up to an overcast sky and nagging rain, accompanied by a sudden nip in the air, residents spent most of the day indoors, confused about their itinerary. However, the Farhan night at BIT-Mesra went houseful despite inclement weather.

The biggest casualty was the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) at JSCA greens in Dhurwa, where over two dozen actors and actresses from across four film fraternities found few fans cheering from rain-washed stands.

The first of the two matches was scheduled between Bengal Tigers and Kerala Strikers from 3pm. But, intermittent showers since Saturday night had left the pitch too damp for a good game. The match was called off.

The second tie between Bhojpuri Dabanggs and Chennai Rhinos began on time around 7.30pm. The Rhinos won the toss and chose to field first.

“We had covered the pitch and inner ground, but the outfield got soaked. It took us a lot of time to drain water,” said a JSCA ground staff. “We are trying to have at least a 10-over game (between Dabanggs and Rhinos),” he added.

Pitch-perfect or not, Ranchi’s cricket buffs were not in the mood for stargazing. The JSCA stadium, which can hold as many as 38,000 spectators, barely saw 200 for the first match.

Actors were undoubtedly disappointed. “I was so excited about playing in Ranchi, but the weather was such a dampener,” said Tollywood actor Prosenjit Chatterjee as he dabbled in football as a part of the exercise routine.

Cricket fans were stumped by the weather too.

“I had arranged for six match passes. But since 9am, we friends spent time calling each to decide whether to brave the rain and chill. Finally, at noon, we decided to stay home,” said Animesh Nachiketa, a media professional.

“We decided to warm up with a house party and some soup and pizza,” added his friend Robin Chabra, a marketing executive.

The group of friends also has passes for the Farhan Akhtar night at BITOTSAV, but said they would let the weather god decide their degree of devotion.

The actor of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag fame, however, drew a full house of over 6,000 at the BIT-Mesra fest. Armed with umbrellas, fans soaked in loyalty as the star belted out one popular number after another.

Some cinemas too received welcoming footfall for the matinee show of Ranveer Singh-and Priyanka Chopra-starrer Gunday.

“Come chill, come rain, it is only action dhamaka for me. A movie with a cup of steaming hot noodles or cheesy popcorns was the best way to spend a Sunday,” said Vartika Kumari, an ad professional who came to Plaza Cinema with her boyfriend.

Morabadi-based Sinhas preferred to stick indoors.

“We had planned a family outing to the national park in Hazaribagh, but had to call it off. It was very difficult to abandon the couch today,” said banker S.N. Sinha.

“We adults spent the day playing cards, wrapped in blankets and over rounds of pakora and khichdi. Children stayed glued to video games,” he added.