SH*T, THEY HIT THE FAN: PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

Celeb security teams are under fire again for misbehaving with fans. We hear it straight from the horse’s mouth — paps and bodyguards — on what goes on behind such unsavoury incidents
Navya Kharbanda (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 9, 2024)

Recent viral videos of bodyguards of actors Dhanush and Akkineni Nagarjuna pushing fans sparked widespread criticism online. In a clip from Juhu Beach in Mumbai, the former’s security team was seen clearing a path as fans tried to capture glimpses of the actor. Nagarjuna faced scrutiny after an incident at Mumbai Airport where his bodyguard pushed a specially abled fan who had approached the actor for a selfie. Later, the actor took to social media to apologize.

Earlier, in similar incidents involving Malaika Arora and Shilpa Shetty Kundra, the actors’ security personnel came under fire for mistreating fans. Yusuf Ibrahim (actor Alia Bhatt’s security), says, “Fans ko celebs ko touch karna ya bahut paas aana avoid karna chahiye. Jab aisa hota hai, we’re forced to act.”

Jishan Qureshi, who handles actor-couple Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani’s security, concurs: “When fans slip in from the side, celeb chaunk jaata hai aur issi dauran haath idhar udhar ho jaata hai. Request yahi hai ki pyaar se aaiye [to meet actors]!”

Often, in the 10-second clips that do rounds of social media, only the negative parts of celeb-fan interactions are included, points out paparazzo Manav Manglani. “Most actors are happy to pose for selfies and often instruct bodyguards to be sweet to fans. Many pap pages make it clickbait-y to sell it online,” he says.

Sameer Khan, Delhi POC for A-listers such as Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan, says it is a complicated debate. “Artistes never tell us in advance that they don’t want to get clicked and we would never want to push fans away. Agar koi fan zid par aa jaye ki hum photo click karwa ke hi jayenge, tab dikkat wali baat ho jaati hai. But humein artiste ko bhi save karna hota hai,” he explains.

PAPARAZZI SPEAK

Main 75% cases mein bodyguards ko hi galat maanunga. Not just fans, even paps get pushed by them in many situations. They lose their temper very easily. 
- YOGEN SHAH

Nagarjuna waale scene mein woh fan achaanak se aaya tha, and bodyguards have to be very reactive in such situations. Can’t say the bodyguard was at fault.
MANAV MANGLANI

A quick guide to celeb-spotting: WHAT NOT TO DO
- Don’t be very touchy unless the star initiates
- Try not to get overwhelmed or nervous since security is reactive to that the most
- Be quick with getting clicked as the celeb is often running late

FRIENDLIEST CELEB BODYGUARDS
Jalal (Deepika Padukone)
Yusuf Ibrahim (Alia Bhatt)
Yuvraj Ghorpade (Aamir Khan)
Sandeep (Ranbir Kapoor)
Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan’s bodyguards