Bheem bhakts Aarav Agarwal and Vivaan Daga. Picture by Bhubaneswarananda Halder

Ranveer Singh was going shirtless at a screen near her, but 19-year-old Harshita Narnoli was swooning over the hero of Dholakpur.

Two-year-old Bhavya who can barely speak but loves “Bim-Bim” or Durga Singhania, a 62-year-old grandmom for whom the teen hero is a part of the family, Horlicks presents Telekids Chhota Bheem Carnival, in association with City Centre, drew Bheem bhakts of all ages on Saturday.

The Kund area of City Centre Salt Lake transformed into Dholakpur — the fictional village where the popular animation series shown on POGO is set — as some shook a leg with Chhota Bheem, some asked their kids to learn values from the nine-year-old fighter and others got busy clicking pictures.

Keshava Henderson, 5, loves Bheem because he is “strong, cool and powerful”. The Grade I student of Sri Mayapur International School, Mayapur, came to City Centre with his mother Anuradha Sircar.

Tattoos, fun games, cute and colourful merchandise and Tuntun Mausi’s famous laddoos — there was lots on offer for Chhota Bheem fans.

Harshita, a first-year student at Institute of Engineering and Management, couldn’t have asked for more. “I love Ranveer Singh, but this guy from Dholakpur has impressed me more so when I had a chance to meet him, how could I miss it?” asked Harshita, who never misses an episode of Chhota Bheem and chose him over the Ram-Leela star. She even got a tattoo done on Saturday.

While most fans sported a Bheem tattoo, Vaibhav Pandey chose to be different. The Class I student at La Martiniere for Boys wouldn’t have missed the Carnival for anything. “He wanted to come last year too but fell ill. He was in tears as he had to wait a whole year to meet Chhota Bheem. It is a dream come true for him, as for so many other kids,” said Ramesh Pandey, the boy’s father and deputy general manager, marketing and events, Ambuja Neotia Group.

Friends or family, fans made sure they kept their date with the Dholakpur gang. The Bhattacharjees of Tollygunge are a fan club of their own. Parents Hina and Niladri have become Chhota Bheem converts too, thanks to their daughters Nayonika, 2, and one-and-a-half-year-old Narayani. Nayonika, as much a fan of Bheem as his best buddy Pyaari Chutki, even skipped breakfast so that she could get to the Carnival early. She didn’t forget her Chutki hairclips though.

Shourya Jayaswal, 7, woke up early and finished her homework so that she could head for the Carnival. The Class III student of Pratt Memorial School and her three-year-old brother Iraj flaunted Bheem tattoos. Iraj’s hero Chhota Bheem, while his sister dotes on Chutki.

“She had her exams when the Chhota Bheem film released, but she finished her studies early so that she could watch the movie. I just had to bring her here,” said mother Richa Jayaswal from Howrah.

Chhota Bheem not only brought smiles to the faces of tiny tots but also their parents. Sonali Dasgupta, a resident of Kasba, had been teary-eyed listening to Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell speech a few hours earlier, but the toon hero and his friends managed to cheer her up. “Shriyaan and I decided to spend the evening with Chhota Bheem to get over the gloom. I wanted my son to enjoy, but ended up having a good time myself too,” Sonali said.

For Sonika Poddar, Chhota Bheem is a godsend. “Chhota Bheem helps me make my son study. I let him watch the cartoon for an hour or maybe two hours if he does his homework on time. It makes my work easier,” said Mrigank’s mother.

Neha Dhanuka attributes son Vinamra’s eating habits to the Dholakpur hero. “My son started having laddoos because Chhota Bheem eats them. This morning, he ate his food on the condition that I would bring him and his cousins to the Carnival. I have promised to buy him a Chhota Bheem jacket, he already has a T-shirt and shoes.”

Nandita Daga, a school teacher and mother of three-year-old Bheem bhakt Vivaan, couldn’t have missed the Carnival. The proud owner of everything from Chhota Bheem towels to schoolbag added a blanket to his collection. “Even his milk glass has Chhota Bheem on it,” said the mother of the nursery student at La Martiniere for Boys.

“The merchandise is selling like hot cakes. This year, we have the Chhota Bheem attire too — dhoti and kurta,” said Neha Poddar, owner of Mi Store that has a stall at the City Centre Carnival.