Reports of a security advisory asking Bollywood celebrities to avoid public appearances following the firing incident at actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai sparked concern in the film industry earlier this week. The reports also claimed that several celebrities’ homes had allegedly been surveyed by suspects. However, Mumbai Police denied issuing any such advisory. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Mumbai, clarified, “This is not true and does not reflect facts. Please verify information thoroughly before publishing any such news.”
While the incident has prompted heightened caution, celebrity appearances and event commitments continue. Talent management company owner Rakesh Upadhyay, who works with actors including Ravi Kishan, Ameesha Patel and Jacqueline Fernandez, says, “While actors have definitely become more cautious, there has been no major change in the number of events celebrities are taking on. If they are performing at a company or event organised by a businessman, celebrity managers now ask for the link to their website, how many people will attend and details about the guests. The demand for security has increased in number. From 3-4 bouncers we now arrange 6-7 for the celeb. Other than that there has been no major change.”
A source associated with the Shroff family’s public appearances says Jackie Shroff has continued honouring his commitments. “Jackie sir has always been bindaas (fearless) and nothing much has changed there he has been keeping up his commitments, without any fuss. However, with many other clients the demand for security has increased, six bouncers is the minimum number being demanded now and all information about the organisers is verified thoroughly by our team.”
Trade analyst Girish Johar believes fewer promotional appearances are unlikely to hurt box-office collections: “The box office numbers depend on strong content, lack of film promotions in person will not majorly affect ticket sales. Shah Rukh and Salman Khan have already cut down their promotional appearances but it did not affect their box office numbers at all.”