Salman-Zarine in Hyderabad- PICS ( 5 fans injured) - Page 2

Salman Khan is to Hyderabad what cricket is to India. And this fact was reinforced when Sallu's visit to promote Veer in Hyderabad, ended in a stampede, with damage to property and a lot of casualties.
Though the promotional tour was announced in advance, the details of Salman's visit was kept under wraps. There was no confirmation available till the morning of the event held on Saturday, and even the media was intimated only at the last minute. "Considering the event was meant to be a low key one, it is a surprise that so many people turned up. We did expect fans to be there, but we weren't prepared for such a huge turn out since there was barely any publicity. Thousands of people gathered in no time and since they weren't allowed near Salman, they grew impatient and some turned aggressive. It was quite scary," says city businessman Manish Malpani, a friend of Salman Khan.

"Salman however, looked very comfortable, unlike his debutante co-star Zarine, who had her first brush with fan hysteria," he adds.
Hysteric it was. As Sallu sauntered in, wearing his trademark toon tee and grungy denims, with co-star Zarine Khan in tow, close to a 1,000 fans moved in his direction to get a dekko of their favourite star. Not one to shun attention of any kind, Sallu indulged his fans every bit, encouraging the mad mob further. Soon, the glass railing of the stairway at the multiplex, came crashing down, even as people holding on to it for support tumbled down the stairs, many getting hurt in the process.
The mob continued their mad march, and walked right over the people fallen on the ground, shouting "We love you Salman! and "Marry Me" trying to attract his attention.
"This can happen only in a star-starved city like Hyderabad," says Pratibha Nair, an IT consultant, who was there to catch a movie. "It was disgusting to see such mindless mob mentality. Weekend movie buffs even dropped their plans and stood staring at Salman, who seemed to be enjoying all that attention." Kashif Sulaiman, Sallu's martial arts instructor says, "Salman was pleased indeed. He said Hyderabad was his favourite city as his films do well here irrespective of how they fare else where."
When Salman was whisked out of the venue, mayhem ensued on the road. The sudden influx of fans outside led to a massive traffic jam that lasted for hours.