Though he was not expected to reach the venue till 8 in the evening, the security arrangements made in and the around the venue were so cumbersome that the other cine goers and the shoppers were left feeling high and dry.

To begin with, a section of the Ferozepur road had been condorned off for the general public. The entire mall donned a khakhi look with policemen checking people extensively before allowing them entry. This, despite the private security guards of the mall also doing their share of checking. The cinema has only two ways to come down — the general public can either take the two lifts or walk down the fire exit. The police had closed the fire exit and the two lifts proved inadequate to carry the huge crowd.

Neha Kapur, who had come to the cinema with her husband, said, “Closing the fire exit is like taking a big risk. The rush at the venue is so much and in case of some problem, how will all these people leave the premises.”

A student quipped, “I wish the VIPs would sit at home and let the general public enjoy. Sukhbir Badal was expected to come at eight and he will leave even without seeing the entire film but just because he was supposed to come, our outing has been ruined. Getting through these policemen is like a Herculean task.”