Kolkata celebrities lukewarm to Messi match

Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) As excitement builds up among the soccer crazy fans of the city to watch superstar Lionel Messi in action, most of the celebrities of Kolkata seem to have decided to give a miss to the Sept 2 game involving Argentina and Venezuela citing tight professional schedule or difficulty in obtaining tickets.

The countdown has already begun for the first ever FIFA official international friendly match in India with most of the stars already in town and Messi expected early Wednesday.

Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Chunkey Pandey and director Anurag Basu are expected to watch the match.

However, for a cross-section of the city's celebrities contacted by IANS - from leading actress Paoli Dam to veteran actor Dipankar Dey - work has taken priority over the soccer action at the Salt Lake Stadium.

'I was scheduled to watch the Messi match but will have to miss it as right now I am in Mumbai for some work. I really wanted to see Messi in action but bad luck,' actress Paoli Dam told IANS.

'No I won't be able to see the match neither on television nor live in action in the stadium as I have outdoor shooting that day,' said Rudranil Ghosh, an upcoming talent in Bengali films.

'I have some important work on that day so I won't be able to see the match,' said Dipankar Dey.

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi will make his debut as full-time captain of the star-studded Argentina team that will take on Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium.

However, some others sounded disappointment over unavailability of tickets.

'I wanted to see the Messi playing in Salt Lake stadium but could not get a ticket as there is very huge demand,' said Soumitro, lead singer of Bengali band 'Bhoomi'.

'I am not an ardent football fan but will try to see the match on television,' said Siddharta, lead singer of Bengali band 'Cactus'.

Leading Bengali writer Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay said he would watch the match on television. 'At my age it is very taxing to go to the ground. I will sit before my television set and watch the match live,' said the 75 year old popular writer.