Why Mamata called up Big B

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may be causing political upheavals in the country but at the same time she is keen to grab eyeballs by welcoming Bollywood’s A-List to Kolkata. It took Didi (as she is called) only a phone call to have the Big B as the star guest in attendance for the Kolkata film festival in mid-November. In a bid to up the glam quotient of the state, the CM herself took upon the onus of having the biggest star inaugurate the festival. Says a source, “Mamata didi wanted only Amitabh Bachchan to open the festival. Both of them go a long way back when both of them were MPs and have shared a rapport ever since.” Confirms Bachchan, “Mamata phoned me and invited me for the Kolkata film festival. I will be going on November 11.” Despite a busy schedule of commitments and the shoot of his television quiz show, Bachchan has specially taken time out to be in the City of Joy. Interestingly, Kolkata has always been special to Bachchan as the city regards the star as its son-in-law. It is also the place where he landed his first job before making it in the film industry. Last year, the film festival was inaugurated by Shah Rukh Khan and after he referred to her as Didi, she had declared that SRK was her brother! She also made him the brand ambassador for Bengal. Mamata had also felicitated King Khan and his IPL team for their victory earlier this year at a special event at Eden Gardens.