The shooting for Salman Khan’s Veer at Rajasthan’s Amber Fort was stalled when a portion of a wall of the historic fort collapsed on Thursday, injuring 15 people. The incident occurred when an enthusiastic crowd of over 200 fans clambered up the wall to watch the shooting of the film. Following the incident, the Rajasthan High Court stayed the film’s shooting.
“A 20-feet long wall in the Amber Fort campus collapsed at around 3.10 pm due to pressure exerted by hundreds of spectators, some of whom were standing on it. The fans became over enthusiastic once Salman appeared,” a police official confirmed. However, Salman went to meet the injured in hospital on Thursday evening.
Dismissing rumours that people died in the collapse, Vijay Galani, the film’s producer, said, “The news that fans died under the wall is false. It was only a parapet and that too at some distance from the fort.” Director Anil Sharma denied having a role in the issue. “The production unit is not responsible for the incident,” he says.
This is not the first time that bystanders have become a problem. On their recent visit to Delhi, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor were witness to a stampede of sorts when star-struck fans reportedly surrounded their car. ACP Rajan Bhagat, PRO Delhi Police, says that although the “crowd excitement is always high” when a celebrity comes to Delhi, he denies ever having encountered an instance of crowd unrest.
Filmmakers across the industry have been victim to mob anxiety and have devised ways to keep them at bay. Director Anurag Kashyap also admits to having fallen prey to such instances. “Crowds do get unruly.” he says. For filmmaker Atul Agnihotri, “planning in advance” helps him prepare for the enormous crowds.
{{/usCountry}}Filmmakers across the industry have been victim to mob anxiety and have devised ways to keep them at bay. Director Anurag Kashyap also admits to having fallen prey to such instances. “Crowds do get unruly.” he says. For filmmaker Atul Agnihotri, “planning in advance” helps him prepare for the enormous crowds.
{{/usCountry}}Abhishek Kapoor, director of Rock On!!, calls the situation a ticking bomb. “If the director or the crew say something nasty, it can trigger off a mob situation,” says Kapoor and adds that the best thing to do is to “keep your cool”.