Mandals rush to sculptors for 10-armed filmy idol

In many city mandals this year, Lord Ganesha will be showering blessing on you with not two, not four but 10 hands. Made popular by this year's blockbuster Agneepath, the ten-armed idol has created quite a frenzy in the idol market.

The more, the better: One of the specialu00a010-armed idols inspired by the one featured in Agneepath, at Uday Khatu's workshop in Chinchpokli.u00a0Pic/Rane Ashish

Many mandals are readily paying more and waiting longer while their sculptors painstakingly craft replicas of the 10-armed Ganpati idol that was seen in the movie.

Popularly referred to as ‘Deva Shree Ganesha' after the song in Agneepath that made it popular, mandals are hoping that these idols will draw in bigger crowds.

The sculptor has to invest far more time on these idols, and cannot rely on moulds. While a regular idol can be moulded in five days, the special 10-armed idol takes about 10 days for completion.

The crafting of this idol is costlier as well; while a regular 18-feet idol with four arms costs about Rs 1.5 lakh, the ‘Deva Shree Ganesha' idols cost between Rs 2-2.25 lakh.

Sculptors, on the other hand, are using the opportunity to showcase their skills. Vijay Khatu, one of the famous sculptors in the city, said, "It has become a huge hit this year. I received many orders for the same but could take on hardly 10, as I didn't have enough time.

Making such a huge 18-feet-high mould becomes very difficult, so I turned down a few offers. We already have moulds for idols with four hands, which we don't have the same for the idols with 10 hands, so it take more time to make them."

Manish Patil, president Adarshdham Mitra Mandal from Malad (East), which has ordered for a Deva Shree Ganesha idol, said, "We will be having an 18-feet-tall replica of the idol which was seen in the movie Agneepath as we are sure it pull more crowds, making our mandal gain popularity this year."u00a0