Bollywood roads lead to Goa!

All Bollywood roads lead to Goa at some time. Right from the days when Shashi Kapoor rented a house here and brother Raj was inspired to make Bobby, his blockbuster of the 1970s, on the sunny, palm-fringed beaches with their picturesque fishing villages.

Now, with private airlines and jets, chartered flights, and better roads, Goa is almost an extension of Mumbai for Bollywood’s glam citizens to wipe off the grease paint and be sussegad over the weekends.

Salman Khan usually lands up here twice a year with his family and girlfriend Katrina Kaif. They laze around the beaches, feeding on blackened cajun prawns and haldi chilli paneer, soaking in the sun and riding the surf. Katrina recalled their last holiday, “We brought in the New Year in Goa. You can relax and let your hair down without anyone watching you.” Malaika Arora and Arbaaz have come closer to Goa by buying a Portuguese villa here. Sister Amrita Arora, says Goa provides everything, “From a wild beach party to a peaceful spot on the coastline.”

Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan likes to spend quality time in Goa with wife Gauri and friends Karan Johar, Kajal Anand, Maheep Kapur, Bhavna and Chunkey Pandey. And Bipasha Basu and John Abraham, Rani Mukerji and family, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol and Ajay Devgan are others who frequent Goa more than twice a year. Shilpa Shetty’s earliest visit was a family outing. “Exotic locales, better still exotic food made Goa so fascinating. I remember we had gone to a shack on the beach and ordered a dish that we spotted on the other table. Later we realised it was octopus,” the lanky actress recalled.

As much as party revellers would like to believe, Goa’s not just about night-time highs. Those with daytime energy like Akshay Kumar participate in water sports or go on fishing excursions and trekking. Akki and wife Twinkle have also bought an old Portuguese bungalow on Anjuna Beach. “I like to soak in the beauty and the serenity of the place,” he said.
It’s not just Christmas and New Year that Bollywood celebrates in Goa, but also birthdays and Valentine Day. Bipasha celebrated hers with John, “It’s a very special place for John and me. Goa’s our regular stress buster.” And Shilpa Shetty, who celebrated Valentine’s Day here with boyfriend Raj Kundhra, said, “If you are with someone special, everything about the place becomes special.” Kareena Kapoor, too, celebrated her birthday in Goa with family and close friends. She was on a five-day vacation. Amitabh Bachchan too, who shot his first film Saat Hindustaani in Goa, has lovely memories. “It’s one of the most beautiful states India has. During those days, there were hardly any hotels, but dense jungles. Whatever one or two hotels they had, we would go to and stay in. It was so much fun then,” said Bachchan.

But there are some stars who needed marriage to visit Goa. Madhuri Dixit never visited Goa till she was married to Dr Sriram Nene. “Goa will always remain special because of that. We went to the beach and the temples. It was so beautiful,” she said.

Others who love Goa include Esha Deol. “Since I’m a beach bum, Goa is one of the best spots India has to offer me,” she said. Pooja Bedi, who goes to Goa at least three-four times a year, loves the fact that she can frolic on the beaches in a bikini without being harassed. Raima Sen loves the seafood and Rohit Roy treats Goa as a hotspot for family holidays. But Munnabhai aide Arshad Warsi sums up best what Goa means to Bollywood when he said, “I love Goa, the place slows me down.”