Sikkim, Aamir’s valentine - Star hits snow-clad state

BIJOY GURUNG Aamir Khan at Burtuk helipad in Gangtok on Tuesday. Picture by Prabin Khaling Gangtok, Feb. 14: Sikkim had a date with actor Aamir Khan on Valentine’s Day. It was his maiden trip to Sikkim and the timing could not have been better as a two-week long festival took off today to lure tourists back to the state. “I have come to Sikkim just for sightseeing. I have never been here before but I have heard a lot about Sikkim. I heard that Sikkim is very beautiful and people here are fond of music. I have been touring different places of the country and wanted to come here as well,” Aamir told journalists after his landing at Burtuk helipad in Gangtok today. The actor arrived here at noon from Siliguri on a Pawan Hans helicopter along with three members of his team. While two of his personal bodyguards had already arrived here yesterday, six other members of the team reached Gangtok from Siliguri by road. The actor is staying in a private resort in the state capital. Asked whether he was scouting about for locales for shooting, Aamir said: “Not for films. I will stay in Sikkim for a couple of days and tour different places here. I love the people of Sikkim a lot and wish them a very happy Valentine’s Day.” Speculations are that the actor, who makes his television debut later this year, is criss-crossing the country looking for locations and subjects for his new project. He had visited Kashmir and Udaipur last week. Although announced in October last year, Aamir’s TV debut — set to air on STAR Plus — remains a closely guarded secret, with the actor not revealing either the format or the name of the show. “It’s an audacious and a challenging idea and the show is very much about real-life situations and real people. There are emotional stories that will touch every Indian,” is what Aamir had told The Telegraph at the launch of the show in Mumbai. The actor and the whole entourage spent more than half-an-hour in Sangmartan, East Sikkim. Sources said the team was in search of locales at Sangmartan, 25km from Gangtok, and might leave Sikkim tomorrow. However, Aamir might visit more places in East Sikkim, possibly the Chhangu Lake, if the team decides to extend the stay by one more day. “It all depends on an unnamed producer who is accompanying Aamir,” said a source. As Aamir’s trip to Sikkim had been kept under wraps, only a handful of people could catch a glimpse of him. A bunch of students of Sikkim Law College located near the helipad, security personnel and those waiting to board the chopper managed to see the star when he landed. The actor’s trip will be cashed in on by tourism stakeholders for sure as the number of visitors to Sikkim dwindled after the earthquake on September 18. His arrival synchronises with the launch of the Sikkim Snow and Cultural Festival here today. The event is being conducted to regain Sikkim’s image as a safe destination. An exhibition football match featuring World Cuppers had been organised at Paljor Stadium last month as a tourism recovery mission. Players like Ruud Gullit and Christian Karembeu, Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker and actors Rahul Bose and Neha Dhupia had taken part in the match on January 22. “Although Aamir’s visit to Sikkim is a personal one, it does add to the efforts made by all tourism stakeholders to send a positive message to the tourists,” said a tour operator.(Telegraph)