It often is the case that during outdoor shoots for films, the public gathers around to have a dekko at their favourite stars. But to Anushka Sharma's shock and surprise, an admirer turned up at the shoot of Ladies vs Ricky Bahl in the guise of the late legendary artiste, MF Husain.
A source associated with the unit tells us that the incident took place in Lucknow, some months after the maverick artiste revealed how impressed he was with Anushka after her second movie. "Anushka was okay in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, but in Band Baaja Baaraat she has proved what an intelligent actor she is. She knows what subtle acting is all about," stated the legendary artiste in HitList, January 2, 2011.
Husain, who had seen Hum Aapke Hain Kaun! 72 times for Madhuri Dixit and Vivah some 20 times for Amrita Rao, was reportedly keen to see Band Baaja Baaraat several times as long as it ran in the theatres in Dubai. Our source recalls, "There was considerable buzz before the artiste's death on June 9, about him painting the actress when she went to Dubai. So in keeping with the celebrated artiste's fascination with the model-turned-actress, this fan came to the shoot in Lucknow, around June 17, in the guise of Husainsaab."
Unfortunately for him, his favourite heroine wasn't shooting that day, and instead, the hero Ranveer was filming with co-star Aditi Sharma. "However, he generated a lot of curiosity by showing up with the white hair and the beard like Husainsaab, and got noticed by the team too," reveals our informer, adding that neither Ranveer nor Aditi met him.
"He hung around the location, with a red rose to present to Anushka. After pack-up was announced, he did look a bit dejected that he couldn't meet his favourite heroine." Needless to say, Anushka did learn about the incident. "She was surprised that a fan could think of doing such a thing. She was rather amused by the incident," says our source, adding, "Anushka was very pleased when Husainsaab praised her performance in Band Baaja Baaraat. On hearing about this incident, she wished she had met the celebrated artiste before his demise.