Govinda, who has delivered hits like 'Ilzaam', 'Jodi Number One' and 'Partner' among others and is a member of Parliament, had expressed his wish to buy a piece of land in Darjeeling during his visit to the Hills a couple of years back.
A plot was identified near Pansi Pool at Batasia, about 7 km from the town, and bought to construct a bungalow.
On a visit to Darjeeling along with his wife Sunita on Tuesday, the actor said, he always wanted to visit the town frequently.
asDarjeeling is a lovely place. I always wanted to build a house and stay here which has now become true.a? The actor has relatives in the Hills.
The bungalow, with four bedrooms, a hall, a kitchen, an underground cark park and servantsa quarters, will be ready in another couple of months, after which the actor will enter it. asThere is sometime before the bungalow is completed. I will conduct a Puja after the mahurat is fixed,a? said the star.
When asked about the possibility of shooting a Bollywood film here, the actor replied in the positive. "Of course Bollywood directors will shoot their films in the Hills given its natural beauty. I will only be happy to shoot here myself if given an opportunity," he said.
A host of high-profile stars have come and shot their films in Darjeeling. Shah Rukh Khan had shot a?Main Hoon Naa and recently, Ranbir Kapoor shot for a?Barfeea which also stars Priyanka Chopra. The a?Barfeea unit is expected to shoot some more scenes in November.
Darjeeling MP and veteran BJP leader Jaswant Singh had also expressed his wish to have a house in the Hills after he was elected by a huge majority. However, of late, the MP is staying at a reputed hotel in Darjeeling.
asIt is because of the peace and pollution-free environment of Darjeeling that Govinda wanted to own a house here. I was entrusted to identify a land and have also been given the charge of constructing the bungalow,a? said Bishen Gazmer over the phone from the construction site at Batasia., who has been entrusted with the responsibility to build the bungalow, over phone from the construction site at Batasia.
According to Gazmer, the residents had no inkling about the celebrity neighbour until on Tuesday when Govinda visited the construction site.
"The construction started about nine months ago and will be completed in another couple of months. Because we did not want to create any trouble we kept the identity a secret till Tuesday," said Gazmer.
In fact, once neighbours came to know of the truth, once being exposed to the truththey made a beeline to get clicked with the Bollywood star.
The bungalow is situated on a piece of land just above the famous Batasia loop with the impressive Kanchenjunga at the backdrop. Govinda is expected to come here for at least 3-4 days every year during the summer break in Mumbai. While the cost of the bungalow has not been divulged, it is learnt that Rs 50 lakh has already been spent on it.
TOI
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