Mumbai:
Hollywood icon Tom Cruise was received by ecstatic fans in India, but some reports claim many of these "fans" were paid to cheer for the Mission Impossible actor.
The fans were reportedly paid somewhere between Rs 200 to Rs 400 each to wave banners and create hype over the star's yet-to-release Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
This is a practice which has often been observed at political rallies where crowds are paid to wait it out in the scorching sun.
But for Tom Cruise? Would it be that hard to gather a few hundred genuine fans?
But event managers for Cruise's visit, Wizcraft, said the reports are false.
"The newspaper report is not true and someone's imagination. The crowd was fans and people were paid to look after them," said Sabbas Joseph, Founder Director, Wizcraft
On Twitter many are shocked.
HoeZaay says: What !? They paid some people 300 rupees each to scream, cheer and welcome Tom Cruise at the Airport !? Someone needs to pay me 150 more.
While another said: So 'fans' screaming for Tom Cruise were paid to do the job at the Mumbai airport? Why not! He's also paid to wave at them.
"It is not a surprise. This is a done in America and now in India. Such crowds are orderly, it's planned. Otherwise crowds can get unruly. Tom Cruise is not that big a star in India for an Indian audience. Everything in today's manufactured news is scripted," said Alyque Padamse, ad film maker.
Perhaps the Mission Impossible star will now want to script a bigger fan base here in India.
The fans were reportedly paid somewhere between Rs 200 to Rs 400 each to wave banners and create hype over the star's yet-to-release Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
This is a practice which has often been observed at political rallies where crowds are paid to wait it out in the scorching sun.
But for Tom Cruise? Would it be that hard to gather a few hundred genuine fans?
But event managers for Cruise's visit, Wizcraft, said the reports are false.
"The newspaper report is not true and someone's imagination. The crowd was fans and people were paid to look after them," said Sabbas Joseph, Founder Director, Wizcraft
On Twitter many are shocked.
HoeZaay says: What !? They paid some people 300 rupees each to scream, cheer and welcome Tom Cruise at the Airport !? Someone needs to pay me 150 more.
While another said: So 'fans' screaming for Tom Cruise were paid to do the job at the Mumbai airport? Why not! He's also paid to wave at them.
"It is not a surprise. This is a done in America and now in India. Such crowds are orderly, it's planned. Otherwise crowds can get unruly. Tom Cruise is not that big a star in India for an Indian audience. Everything in today's manufactured news is scripted," said Alyque Padamse, ad film maker.
Perhaps the Mission Impossible star will now want to script a bigger fan base here in India.
