Keonjhar: We have seen fans build temples of their favourite stars. We have also seen people decorate their homes with posters of their celebrities while many even go to an extent to get the names or faces of their favourite actors tattooed on their body.
But, an open air canteen for cops in Keonjhar will remind you of the connection of Bollywood with policemen. Iconic Bollywood cops ranging from Inspector Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) in Zanjeer to Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan) in Dabangg adorn this beautiful canteen, built only for the men in uniform.
The canteen in question here is ‘Cops Bollywood Canteen’, located in the reserve police line adjoining a renovated pond, a children’s park and a Shiv Temple.
Thanks to the innovative idea of Keonjhar SP Jai Narayan Pankaj, the canteen, apart from entertainment, helps in boosting morale of police personnel and recognise their importance and responsibility to the society.
“Apart from serving snacks and beverages, the canteen will provide a hangout space for police personnel who often lead a rigorous and routine life,” the SP said.
“I thought, unlike other police canteens, this one should have an innovative look and concept. The canteen also highlights the longstanding relationship between police characters and Bollywood,’’ he added.
The painted characters have been chosen in such a manner that both young and older generation of law enforcers can find images to identify with around the canteen. For every figure of a policeman there is a firebrand policewoman depicted as a picture of resolve.
Visible among the paintings are Sub-inspector Anant Welankar (Om Puri) in Ardh-Satya, inspector Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) in Zanjeer, inspector Durga Devi Singh (Hema Malini) of Andha Kanoon, Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) in Sholay, inspector Baji Rao Singham (Ajay Devgan) in Singham, ASP Vikam Rathod (Akshay Kumar) in Rowdy Rathore and much to the joy of the young people in the forces Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan) in Dabangg.
“We plan to open canteen to the general public as well in the near future. There are a few canteens or restaurants which are themed around the police. However, this is the first of its kind canteen that explores the police-Bollywood combination,” Pankaj said.
PNN