Dharmendra fan cycles to Mumbai from Varanasi, shooed away

Aug 2, 2011 IANS

Mumbai, Aug 2 (IANS) He came all the way from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, riding his bicycle for hundreds of kilometres, just to get a glimpse of yesteryear Bollywood star Dharmendra, but was shooed away by the guards at his bungalow here.

Neeraj Chauhan, 27, rode day and night, for over 1,500 kms to reach Mumbai and meet Dharmendra. "But when I reached his bungalow at Juhu, I was told he is not home," a dejected Neeraj told IANS.

"And this is not for the first time that I have tried to meet him. I had come riding my cycle to Mumbai in 2007 also. But I had not been able to meet him even then," he added.

Neeraj, who stays with his family of seven, that includes his two brothers and two sisters along with his parents, makes photo-frames to earn a living.

"I am a die-hard fan of Dharamji and just wanted to meet him once," he said. "But somehow I couldn't meet him even this time."

Neeraj rode his bicycle for more than 20 hours a day. "I used to ride 10-11 hours in the night and around 11 hours during the day time. I rested merely for three hours every day," he said.

"It took me six days to reach here and I was dead tired, but the temptation to meet Dharamji kept me going," he added.

Not being able to meet the actor has disheartened Neeraj, but he said he will not stop trying.

"I shall try to meet him again tomorrow and then leave for Varanasi, whether or not I meet him. I will try my luck again some other time," he said.