You lookin' at me?

Posting from my gracious host Gopal's house while the gent is out reacting to an urgent summons from the zoo (he's a print journo who can afford to have such exotic beats).
Its great to see people commenting, though I still can't figure out who anonymous might be. But no matter. Keep em coming.
So...I'd been gone a couple of days and as a result I have quite a bit to write about. Beginning from day before yesterday when I boarded an Indian Airlines flight back to Delhi. Just my luck, the flight was supposed to leave at 8 but shifted ass only at 9...reason being that they were flying injured Bong passengers from Kashmir. Anyways, that wasn't the news...what the news was this strange little brush I almost had with celebrity:
While my mother was hugging me one last time and telling me to be good(why does everyone always ask me to be bhodro, or to be good?) when I glanced over her shoulder and saw these two foreigners putting their check-in luggage through the scanner. I stopped dead in my tracks...could that guy with the cropped hair be...dear God could he be...DeNiro? There, I was smitten and had turned into a stalker in the blink of an eye!
He definitely looked like Niro, and not too young either...the cropped hair giving him more than a passing likeness to Travis Bickle (?) of Taxidriver fame...I continued gaping and since my check in was complete I stalked him, hoping to hear someone mention his name. I would think that DeNiro would be a little older and more jowly than this but then again I could be wrong...but why was he travelling like an ordianary tourist....with just another guy? I looked for trademark expressions, but couldn't see because of the crowds. Was determined to get a closer look...and then...oi vei oi vei....he was travelling by my flight!!!
Followed him surreptitiously up the staircase to the first floor lounge meant for the IA passengers(which was cool...no rubbing shoulders with mere Jet or Sahara flyers haha) and kept staring...still nothing to give anything away...but he so looked it man....
Just as I was going to narrow the gap and get in a good stare, he turned left into some "Gold card holding passengers only" lounge...Darn! God damn the executive class!!! But that confirmed one thing...if he was who I think he was, then at least he was travelling expensive-even if on a passenger liner. Couldn't for the life of me understand why a star of his luminousity would pass a personal jet for Indian Airlines!!! And anyways, nobody seemed to recognise him. I privately sneered at everyone else at not wising up to the Presence in our midst...my heart was beating double time at the thought of talking to the guy and I quickly had a few imaginary conversations in me head...all of them ending with him either adopting me or casting me for his next film...
Then, an important decision to make...which films of his would I say I liked...should I be tough and speak only about the Scorsese movies or should I include a ribtickler like Meet The Parents? But what if he detested it? Hmm, tough call. So I mulled it over -and there was time for this, seeing how IA wasn't even bothering with boarding anyone even though it was 8:30 pm and the scheduled departure time said 8:40 pm...After much deliberation, I decided to go with Taxidriver, Godfather 2, Casino and Goodfellas...I got me diary out and tore a bit of paper and kapt it in me pocket-along with a pen- just in case I needed it.
I decided to bide my time and catch him while boarding...which started at 8:40 sharp. IA was trying to make up for the delay by pretending nothing was wrong and that they were being super punctual...so while the rest ran towards the boarding door trying to get in as soon as possible, I waited for the Executive Class to emerge from their executive cocoon...after a while they did and sure enough...there was my man, with the friend of course. By now he seemed less like a friend and more like a lackey. So I approached the line and casually positioned meself behind him and between him and the friend...
"Um, excuse me ...sorry for being rude, but are you Robert DeNiro?" (There, I'd said it!!! Cold sweat cold sweat)
"What"?
"Are you Robert DeNiro? You, um, er, look just like him, heh" (nervous, panicking)
"Oh, ho ho, no chum I'm not DeNiro, I wish I was"
"Sorry man, you look just like him" (you better admit it buster, if only to make me happy)
"Afraid I'm not." Holds out his hand, "Richard"
"Um, Beq"
"I'm a DeNiro fan too"
"Really? How nice" (Did I look like I cared any more?)
So that was the story of me brush with celebrity...only it turned out to be some old Dick.
But, then again, I have my doubts. What if he was DeNiro and just wanted peace and quite and not be besieged by morons...
When I walked past his seat, on my way to 27A right at the back, Dick winked and gave me a thumbs up...