Zubeen Garg’s ‘loaded’ act leaves audience shocked

Guwahati: Bollywood singer from the state Zubeen Garg left his fans shell-shocked when he brandished a ‘handgun’ at a music show here on Sunday evening. Later, the organizers explained that the singer used a toy handgun to ‘send the message of peace’ in the northeast.
The incident happened on the concluding day of Rongali, a three-day cultural event. Zubeen, who was supposed to set the ‘stage on fire’ through his performance, entered the stage dressed in a black shirt with a bandana tied around his forehead and the ‘handgun’ tucked in his waistband.
The ‘handgun’ in question is being used as a prop in the ongoing shoot of Zubeen’s film ‘Mission China’. The film will see the singer don the roles of director, producer, writer and actor in a lead role. Nevertheless, Garg's on-stage antics were not well-received.
“It wasn’t a real handgun. It was a mere prop. He was just propagating the message of bringing an end to gun-culture in our society. He spoke about peace and development in the region. Zubeen was just enacting a scene from his upcoming movie,” said Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organizer of the event.
Police inspected the ‘firearm’ and declared it to be fake. “It was a fake pistol. These are usually used in TV or film shoots,” a police officer said.
Many from the audience are yet to get over their alarm. “Zubeen even cocked the magazine once in front of the crowd. It looked like it was loaded,” a member of the audience said.
Garg reached the venue for the music show after completing the day’s shoot. Accompanying him was co-actor Pabitra Rabha who plays the villain in the film.
“We were quite busy and came to the venue straight from the shoot. Zubeen didn’t mean any mischief. He was sending the message of peace in the region,” Rabha said.