Actor Vijay's security points gun on fan; internet divided over viral video

A bodyguard of Tamil actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party leader Vijay reportedly pulled out a firearm as a fan broke a security cordon at the Madurai airport to approach the star.

Vijay himself seemed oblivious to the commotion as he calmly entered the airport while scores of adoring fans massed outside.

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Hours later, confusion prevailed if the bodyguard pulled out the weapon upon seeing the fan or simply took it out to give it to a colleague before entering the airport terminal. There were no clear answers.

Numerous videos of the incident on X showed Vijay stepping out of his vehicle to the cheers of numerous fans.

What happened?

A fan, however, broke through security and tried to get close to the actor with a shawl in hand. Vijay’s security team held him back, with one bodyguard’s gun briefly pointing at him – or so it seemed.

The fan himself did not spot the weapon. He later told a journalist: “I didn’t know the gun was there; the bouncers did it for security reasons. I don't think they did anything wrong.”

Fans’ reactions

While his fans believed the guard’s action was justified, others thought Vijay’s security personnel were too jumpy.

“This is scary,” one fan wrote on X. “Actor Vijay’s bouncers using pistol against the public in a public place.” Another added: “When public or press approaches other actors like Rajinikanth sir, Ajith sir… they are very much kinder than this man over here!”

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However, some of the fans claimed that the guard who pulled out the firearm did so to hand it over to a colleague when the fan ran by him, causing the commotion.

Another fan wrote on X: “Why did the guard pull out his gun? Simple. Guns aren’t allowed inside the terminal. He was handing it over to another officer before entering. Standard protocol.”