Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; July 9, 2014)

When Riteish Deshmukh recently went to Aurangabad to promote his upcoming Marathi film, Lai Bhaari, he was surrounded by swelling crowds. The actor was thronged by hordes of people and the moment they saw Riteish they apparently rushed in his direction. Sources say that so excited was the crowd to see him that an escalator in the mall was damaged in the melee, not to mention the three glass doors that were also broken.

“The mall was jam-packed with people and Riteish could not exit the mall for a good three hours. But fortunately, first aid was immediately provided to some fans who were injured in this ruckus. Heavy security was deployed to ensure the fans’ and the actor’s safety,” says a source.

A source from Aurangabad’s Prozone mall says, "We didn't expect this kind of response. But Aurangabad has always been Riteish's second home and fans from the neighbouring regions too had come down to meet Riteish."

Anil Iravani, the mall’s president, says, "It was overwhelming to see such a response; his fans had come from all over. Yes, some doors were broken but thankfully no one was hurt in a big way."

When contacted, Riteish replied, “Yes, we faced some difficulty, but we did manage to get to the airport on time.”