Celebration or danger: Firecrackers inside theatres put South India's fan culture under the spotlight

The recent incident at a Bengaluru theatre during a screening of actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay ’s Jana Nayagan has brought that question sharply back into focus. Videos of fans bursting firecrackers inside a packed cinema hall went viral, triggering a debate over the increasingly dangerous lengths to which some fans go to celebrate their favourite stars. What may be seen by some as an extraordinary expression of devotion can, in an enclosed space filled with hundreds of people, quickly become a serious safety risk.