In the city of Edison, New Jersey, an Indian American family has installed a life-size statue of Amitabh Bachchan, the Bollywood superstar.
About 600 people got together outside of Rinku and Gopi Sheth in Edison for the unveiling of the statue. The statue is inside a large glass box and it was unveiled by a prominent community leader by the name of Albert Jasani.
The ceremony was a jovial celebration complete with fire-crackers and dancing by Amitabh Bachchan's fans in the city of Edison which is often referred to as Little India as it is home to a significantly sizeable Indian American population, according to a report by PTI.
The complete project cost the family more than $75,000 i.e. about ₹ 60 lakhs.
"He is nothing less than a God to me and my wife."Gopi Sheth, Resident of Edison, New Jersey, Internet Security Engineer and Owner of Amitabh Bachchan Statue.
Sheth moved to the US from Dahod in eastern Gujarat in 1990. For the last thirty years, he has been running www.BigBEFamily.com which is a website dedicated to the fans of Amitabh Bachchan. This repository is shared with the Bollywood superstar.
Sheth said Bachchan knows about the statue and added that the superstar told him that he didn't deserve this kind of treatment, however, did not stop Sheth from unveiling the statue.
Sheth met "his God" Mr. Bachchan during Navaratri celebrations in New Jersey in 1991 after which he has continued to be a "big fan". He has been organising Bachchan's fans in the US and in other countries which later took on the form of a website.
"The biggest thing that inspires me about him is not only his reel life, but also the real life...how he manages himself in public, how he conveys and communicates. He is very down to earth. He takes care of his fans. Hie is not like so many other stars. This is why I thought I should have his statue outside of my house."Gopi Sheth, Resident of Edison, New Jersey, Internet Security Engineer and Owner of Amitabh Bachchan Statue.
(With inputs from PTI and Twitter)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)