SRK fans light crackers in Nashik theatre during Ae Dil Hai Mushkil screening

There is a thin line between fanfare and fanaticism. Unfortunately, this line was breached to maddening effect when unruly fans of Shah Rukh Khan set off firecrackers in a theatre in Malegaon in Nashik district, creating panic among the 400-odd audience in Upkar theatre.

This madness was captured on video and uploaded on Twitter.

As you can see, fans went berserk when they saw their favourite superstar on the silver screen. The fans were watching SRK's cameo in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

In their madness, the fans started setting off crackers inside the theatre. The dangerous incident occurred during the 9pm show of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil at the small-town theatre.

Inevitably, the screening had to be halted and fire extinguishers pressed into action to prevent any calamity. Luckily, there were no casualties, and the show was resumed later. Five youths, aged between 17 and 30, who were responsible for the menace were handed over to the police.

According to reports, such unruly and dangerous conduct is common in theatres in this district. They usually follow the screenings of the Khans (except Aamir), Sanjay Dutt, and Mithun Chakraborty. 

A similar incident was reported during the matinee show of Shivaay at Subhash theatre in Malegaon on Friday.

The menace is now forcing theatre owners in the district to think of boycotting films starring Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Mithun Chakraborty. 

"Earlier, fans used to scream, whistle, and throw coins," Vijay Bhuse, owner of Upkar theatre, told HuffingtonPost.com. "Now, the new generation wants to take it a notch further."

Malegaon is a town obsessed with films. This obsession was well documented through Faiz Ahmad Khan’s Malegaon Ka Superman (2012). 

However, such acts in confined spaces like theatres are utterly dangerous and smack of hooliganism.