Jolie causes stir on Mumbai train

By Monica Chadha
BBC News, Mumbai

Bodyguards kept crowds well back from Jolie

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie got a taste of how millions of Indians travel when she hopped on public transport.

She and co-actor Dan Futterman caused a stir when they boarded a crowded local train in the financial capital, Mumbai.

With a film crew and five bodyguards, they squeezed into a compartment with other passengers as the excited press pack and regular commuters looked on.

The actors are in India shooting the film, A Mighty Heart, based on the life of murdered US journalist Daniel Pearl.

'Stay back!'

They bought tickets and boarded the train at Charni Road station.

Bodyguards made sure no one got too close - quite a feat on Mumbai's crowded transport system.

A local photographer who managed to get in the same compartment told the BBC one of the bodyguards threatened to throw him out of the train if he tried to get too near to the actress or take pictures.

The photographer said the two actors were standing at the door of the compartment while the crew took shots of them.

There was huge excitement among the commuters and papparazzi when they got off and boarded another train for Churchgate station, Mumbai's main western railway terminal.

Fiddle player

Jolie and her partner, Brad Pitt, and their children, arrived in Mumbai on Saturday to shoot scenes from the film.

She plays the role of Pearl's widow, while Futterman plays the journalist, who was abducted and murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Jolie arrived in India in the first week of October and shooting has already taken place in the city of Pune, about 170km (105 miles) away from Mumbai.

Pitt has accompanied her as the film is being co-produced by the company he founded along with ex-wife, actress Jennifer Aniston.

Jolie and Pitt were photographed on Saturday at a party in a popular restaurant that Pearl used to frequent.

Shooting of the film is expected to continue in Mumbai for the next few days.