Amitabh Bachchan turns Modi admirer

Gandhinagar, Jan 7 : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has a new fan - Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan.

Bachchan, who has fans mooning over him the world over, has gone overboard in his praise for Modi and Gujarat after their meeting here Wednesday.

In his blog the filmstar states: "He (Modi) lives simply and with mere basic needs and most unlike the head of a state. He speaks with affection on development and progress. He is welcoming to fresh ideas and ideals. His oft repeated phrase of him being a CM, a common man, is not misunderstood.

"He does and acts as he speaks."

"He talks of raising the level of awareness for his state through tourism and I volunteer to participate in any activity that would help promote that," Bachchan wrote explaining his interest in promoting Gujarat.

Bachchan seems awestruck after the chief minister's discourse on Gujarat, possibly after the two meet and watched "Paa" together at a multiplex here Wednesday.

It shows in the blog. He goes on: "Did you know or were you aware that the largest number of heritage sites in the country are in Gujarat? This away from the historic Dwarka Nagri that lies submerged under the sea and is a subject of discovery and research, where architecture and monuments and complete palaces lie buried underneath. The rann - a massive and wide expanse of miles of white soil, that glows like it was embedded with millions of diamonds in the night, separating our borders with our neighbours, Pakistan. The historic temples - Somnath and Dwarkaji and endless places of great history, all within and still unknown to most of us. So much richness in our own and yet we cherish that which is not ours at times," Bachchan goes on.

"As I drive back we duck below a spanning sign on a bridge crossing that thanks us for visiting 'Clean and Green Gandhinagar'. I couldn't have agreed more," Bachchan writes.