Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt arrive in Pune
Mumbai Mirror Bureau
Pune is abuzz with rumours of the arrival of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the city. Apparently the stars made a backdoor entrance at the Le Meridian in Pune last evening.
The star couple are in Pune for the shooting for the film A Mighty Heart which is based on American journalist Daniel Pearl who was slain by the Talibans in Afghanistan. Jolie, Pitt and a few members of their families, arrived at Pune International Airport at about 3 pm by a chartered plane belonging to Raymonds company, airport sources said. They then drove in a fleet of Mercs to the hotel, sources said.
The production unit, besides booking two posh hotels for the Hollywood stars, their family and crew members, have also taken a couple of private bungalows on rent for the shooting of the film.
One of these bungalows belongs to builder Avinash Bhonsale. However, when contacted, his son, Amit Bhonsale said, "Yes, they did ask for permission to shoot at our bungalow. However, they wanted to shoot inside the bungalow. We have not given them permission for that. So most of the shooting will be done at a bungalow in Sindh society."
Pune was chosen for the shoot of the film since part of the landscape of this city bears resemblance to Karachi, where Marianne spent one month from the day she learnt about Daniel Pearl's kidnapping till the day when latter was beheaded by his abductors in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The film, scripted by the slain journalist's wife Marianne, is being co-produced by Pitt's production company where Angelina is featuring as Pearl's spouse.
Driving Miss Jolie
The journey from Mumbai, which normally takes 30 mins, took them nearly 1 hr 15 mins
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The man at the wheel: Driver Chandrakant More outside the Le Meridien in Pune, where Jolie and Pitt are staying pic/M Fahim
Prachi Bari speaks to the driver who ferried the actress and her kids from the airport to the hotel
The chartered plane, flying Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, their children (Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh Nouvel), a maid and five bodyguards, landed at the Lohegaon Airport in Pune at 2.50 pm yesterday. Just as the plane landed, three cars a white Mercedes Benz, a Toyota and a Qualis rolled on to the tarmac amid a heavy downpour to pick up the passengers.
"We were told to go straight to the tarmac, as it was raining heavily," said Chandrakant More, the driver of the Mercedes.
"The heroine, her children, their bodyguard and a maid got in and we were told to drive straight to the hotel."
Sneaked in
Captain Deepak Shastri, director, Lohegaon Airport, confirmed the arrival of the stars and also said they were headed to the Le Meridien.
Inside the five-star hotel, chaos reigned as the frenzied Indian media and foreign paparazzi from France, UK, US and even Sweden tried to find the best spot to capture a glimpse of the stars. But no one managed to see the family enter the hotel.
Jaswinder Narang, the general manager of the hotel, neither confirmed, nor denied the news. However, a source at the hotel later told MiD DAY that Jolie and Pitt used the staff entrance, which passes through the kitchen, to enter the hotel. This entrance is covered from all sides.
Another staff member at the hotel revealed the stars would be occupying five suites on the fifth floor.
The chief chef, Nadir, who spoke to MiD DAY soon after the stars arrived, said they hadn't ordered anything yet, but the kitchen staff had been instructed to attend to their orders immediately.
Resting
When asked about their plans for the day, a member of the production team said it was unlikely they would step out of the hotel, as they were all tired after the long flight.
He also mentioned that the director of the film Michael Winterbottom and some others would be joining them two days later.
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolies flight was delayed due to heavy rainfall in Pune file pic
Kashif Khusro
kashif@mid-day.com
Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's trip to India began with turmoil. The weather played spoilsport during their flight to Pune and the journey, which normally takes about half-an-hour, took them nearly one hour and 15 minutes due to heavy rain and poor visibility.
Private jet
The duo arrived in Mumbai on their private jet, a Gulfstream-5, from France at 11.30 am yesterday. An airport source said, "They were accompanied by their three kids and some assistants. After landing, they cleared customs and immigration and boarded a chartered plane to Pune."
The couple couldn't take their private jet to Pune, as Indian airspace rules don't allow non-scheduled foreign aircraft to land anywhere except for the four metros of the country and Goa. Any further inland air travel has to be done by local aircraft.
"The couple chartered a Challenger aircraft from Millionair, a Raymond group company, and took off from Mumbai at 1.45 pm. Due to poor visibility in Pune, they had to circle the airport for a while before landing a little before 3 pm," said the source.
The duo was whisked away to the Le Meridien hotel. The Pune airport director confirmed their arrival.
According to airport sources, the couple's empty aircraft, which is parked in Mumbai, will be taken to Japan, en route to the US.
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