It is an art perfected by numerous film stars. When a movie shows signs of bombing at the box office, hordes of fans are driven into the theatre to give the impression that it is drawing big crowds. Sometimes it works. There are now suspicions that the film star-turned-politician Chiranjeevi is trying the same trick to create a feeling that people are falling over each other to join his Praja Rajyam.

For the last two days, there has been a seemingly orchestrated melee at the PR headquarters Jubilee Hills to compensate for the lull which followed the actor’s grandiose launch of the new party. Hundreds of people (mostly Chiru fans) have been jostling and thronging the office. On Friday they "overacted" and gatecrashed into the office, causing utter chaos. The security personnel also got overenthusiastic and manhandled mediapersons, injuring a cameraman of a TV channel and provoking a dharna by journalists.

It all started when Chiranjeevi arrived in the morning to participate in the Teachers’ Day celebrations at the party office. As soon as he arrived, a horde of fans rushed headlong into the office. They broke the gates and security men ran this way and that. Chiranjeevi’s actor-brother, Pavan Kalyan, finally jumped up the compound wall of the office in filmy style to control the crowd.

Political analysts felt the near-stampede was staged to create a stir since the party office has been wearing a deserted look since the matinee idol’s political entry on August 17. Only fans were present at the office and no prominent political leader was seen. There was also no rush when seasoned politicians such as Mr Bhuma Nagi Reddy and Mr Kotagiri Vidyadhara Rao joined the party.

The chaos at PR office, however, saw to it that commuters passing through the thoroughfare in front of it were caught in a traffic snarl. Meanwhile, the PR leadership announced that Chiranjeevi would henceforth receive fans and party followers at Image Gardens in Madhapur and not at the party office.