Imagine enjoying the cool sea breeze sitting on a bench along side the statue of your favourite Bollywood legend. Or walking along the promenade to scrutinise the hand impressions of the current heartthrobs. If all goes according to plan, the city will soon have its own version of the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ at Bandra bandstand.
While its US counterpart has star-shaped brass plates engraved with celebrity names embedded on sidewalks, Mumbai’s ‘Walk of the Stars’ will go a step further. There will be six to seven brass statues of yesteryear stars like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor mounted on benches. Also, signatures and hand impressions in brass of nearly 100 film stars will be embedded in the slabs along a two-km stretch on the promenade.
The benches and tiles will be permanent fixtures and more elements will be added along the promenade over a period of time. Work along the Bandra promenade is in progress and will get completed in March. “This is an effort to bring the fans closer to the stars while also beautifying the area and increasing its appeal for tourists,” said Nikhil Gandhi, business head of UTV Stars, the television channel which is launching the project.
Considering that the Hollywood Walk of Fame attracts nearly 10 million domestic and international visitors annually, organisers of the Mumbai-based ‘Walk of the Stars’ are hoping to create a stir amongst small-town tourists from India and foreign Bollywood buffs. Plans are also afoot to launch similar projects in Gurgaon, Dubai and London, Gandhi added.
Industry watchers estimated that initially Rs 15 lakh to Rs 25 lakh will be invested in the Mumbai venture, but more money will be pumped in based on the popularity of the project among Bollywood denizens and their fans.
Meanwhile, organisers claim to have all the mandatory permissions from the police, the civic body and the Bandra Residents’ Association.
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