For generations, Bollywood fans have gathered outside their favourite stars’ homes for a glimpse, a wave or a moment of connection. But amid growing security threats, these cherished encounters are taking a different shape, with bulletproof barriers and greater distances becoming the new reality.
Amitabh Bachchan’s Sunday fan darshan outside his Mumbai home in Juhu on 1 November offered a striking example. The veteran actor greeted fans from behind a transparent bulletproof enclosure, while son Abhishek Bachchan kept a watchful eye nearby. Shah Rukh Khan, too, has moved farther back from his usual greeting spot at Mannat, creating greater distance between himself and admirers.
The precautions follow last month’s shooting at Tiger Shroff’s car in Juhu, after which the actor installed bulletproof protection on its windshield. Salman Khan, meanwhile, had bulletproof glass fitted on his Galaxy Apartments balcony in January last year and imported a bulletproof car in 2024 amid threats to his life.
Actor and security agency owner Ronit Roy calls Bachchan’s enclosure a necessary precaution, saying it should have been installed much earlier. Celebrity security consultant Yusuf Ibrahim believes prevention is essential but hopes the situation will be temporary.
Advertising guru Prahlad Kakkar, however, finds the growing restrictions unfortunate. He says criminal elements have created paranoia, limiting stars’ most important interaction with fans. Recalling the greater accessibility of film sets, he notes that such openness remains more prevalent in South Indian film industries than in Bollywood.
As security takes precedence, Bollywood faces a growing dilemma: how to protect its stars without losing the closeness that made fan encounters special.
