Was Amitabh Bachchan in the city on Friday to participate in the “Shobha Yatra”, organised as part of the Sri Ramanavami celebrations? Though Big B was not there at Begum Bazaar, his look-alike ‘Bachchan’ Venugopal Vyas stole the show even as people vied with one another to capture his image on mobiles and also to get photographed with him.
Vyas, a businessman, who sports a French beard and hairdo just like Big B, cheered devotees and surprised many, including policemen on bandobust duty. “It’s surprising to see a look-alike of Bachchan. We took his photographs on phones and sent them to our friends,” chuckled Rajesh Chandar, an optical shop owner from Secunderabad.
The faux Bachchan says it gives him immense pleasure when people identify him as Mr. Bachchan. “Whenever I visit a temple, I am treated like a VIP. Many shake hands with me,” he discloses in a borrowed baritone. When Amitabh fell sick some years ago, Mr. Vyas and his friends offered special prayers at a temple at Begum Bazaar.
