Johor heat fails to stop Tamannaah fans
JOHOR BAHRU: Not even the blistering Johor sun could keep fans away from Tamannaah Bhatia today. As early as 10am, admirers of the Bollywood and Kollywood star began filling Jalan Segget, clutching posters and sheltering under umbrellas as the midday heat bore down on the city. By early afternoon, the crowd had swelled to several hundred, every eye trained on the entrance.
The actress was in Johor Baru to officiate the launch of Yazhini Gold & Diamonds’ new Ayra & Abhinaya Diamond Collections at its Jalan Segget store, at an event hosted by Chennai’s television personality Kiki Vijay.
Fans waited nearly five hours. But when Tamannaah finally stepped out at 2.50pm, radiant in a pink saree, the wait was instantly forgotten.
Screams of “Tamannaah! Tamannaah!” rang out as she emerged, smiling and waving at the wall of phones raised to capture the moment.
Rather than rushing to the stage, the actress took her time. She walked along the barricades, stopping for selfies, taking outstretched hands and chatting with fans, some of whom had been standing in the heat since morning.
Tamannaah, who flew in from Mumbai only last night, was visibly moved by the turnout. “I am so happy to see everyone still here and in such high energy despite this afternoon heat,” she told the cheering crowd.
She also had warm words for the city that had welcomed her. “Johor fans are beautiful people. From the time I arrived last night, I have been treated with so much love,” she said.
Of the new collections, she said: “The Yazhini collections are amazing. They are perfect for gifting.”
Yazhini Gold & Diamonds marketing manager Velan said the actress was a natural choice for the launch.
“She represents elegance and style, and she has strong appeal across our audience,” he said.
The visit came just a day after the release of her latest film, The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, a Hindi fantasy thriller rooted in Indian folklore, in which she stars opposite Sidharth Malhotra. She told fans she was proud the film celebrated Indian culture.
“India as a country has so much culture, and in this film we showed our culture,” she said.
Tamannaah made her acting debut in 2005 and went on to become one of South Indian cinema’s leading actresses.
She won over Tamil audiences with hits such as Kalloori, Ayan opposite Suriya, Paiyaa and Siruthai opposite Karthi, Veeram opposite Ajith Kumar, and more recently the horror-comedy Aranmanai 4.
Her dance number Kaavaalaa from the Rajinikanth blockbuster Jailer became a nationwide sensation, and the Baahubali franchise brought her to a global audience.
