The lucrative business of celebs’ public appearances is known to one and all. In a state where people celebrate baro mashe tero parbon, festivities are aplenty all year round.

From mega stars to fringe celebrities — routine appearances during festivals like Durga Puja are great opportunities to earn those extra bucks, sometimes running into lakhs. But cutting the ceremonial satin ribbon to throw a Puja open is so last century.

With Durga Puja becoming bigger by the day, celebrations now begin from Ratha Yatra — which marks the making of the kathamo or the wooden frame on which the Durga idol is built.

Khuti Pujo, as it’s famously called, is now a rage with Puja committees going all out to make their paras bask in the reflected glory of stardom.

For celebs too, it’s the new Puja inauguration. The remuneration has been worked out, the list of dos and don’ts drawn up and a schedule added to their busy planners.

For some, however, the handsome paycheck is not the key factor — good PR is. Ever since Soham joined the political fray, he has not been charging a penny for showing up at Khuti Pujos. It’s the same with Rituparna Sengupta and Paoli, who attend the ceremony only on request. Rituparna has been to Khuti Pujos organised by ministers and bureaucrats whereas Paoli has done the same for those close to her. The latter charged approximately a lakh last year for attending a Khuti Pujo, but this year things are different. Then, there are those who are squeezing out an extra hour from their choc-a-bloc diaries as the reward is alluring.

Rachna Banerjee, we hear, takes anywhere between Rs 50 – Rs 70K to attend a Khuti Pujo. If she is familiar with the Puja committee, she travels by the car sent to her by the organisers; else, she travels by her own and gets the petrol bill reimbursed. Being choosy, she has turned down several offers to attend such a ceremony. On the other hand, she has attended many for free just for the rapport she shares with the organisers.

Sreelekha Mitra, who has already attended one this year, charged Rs 50K for it. Her remuneration goes up depending on the distance and she takes up an offer only if it is to her liking. Koneenica Banerjee, who attended the Khuti Pujo of Tridhara and Hindustan Park ‘out of love’, has several offers from Hazra, Baranagore, Barrackpore and Dum Dum lined up in the next few days. The actress charges Rs 50 – Rs 60K depending on the place and the time she needs to spend there.

As per Puja committees, it costs a bit more if they wish to get Tonushree Chakraborty or Paayel Sarkar on board, who charge somewhere between Rs 70k – Rs 80k. Tonushree has already attended six such ceremonies this year, while Paayel has been to four. On the other hand, Monami Ghosh has always remained a favourite with many. The actress, who charges `30k, stays for around 30 minutes and travels by the committee’s car. If she is attending one on the outskirts of Kolkata, the remuneration goes up to Rs 35k. Another hot favourite with Puja organisers is Vikram Chatterjee, who shot to fame with a popular megaserial. He charges around Rs 25k – Rs30k per event and stays for around 15 minutes. Last year, he attended three Khuti Pujos and 18 inaugurations and the numbers are set to soar this year. All the payments are made in advance to rule out complications of a starry kind later.

*The figures mentioned in the article are approximate and have been shared by Pujo organisers.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / Zinia Sen & Ruman Ganguly / July 25th, 2016