Thunivu vs Varisu: Ajith and Vijay fans clash in theatres, tear film posters

Ajith and Vijay fans seem to be going out of their way to celebrate their matinee idol's films and also to prove who is the bigger star among both. While the FDFS of Ajith's Thunivu was held at 1am across the state, the FDFS of Vijay's Varisu followed at 4pm. While theatre owners tried their best to ensure that no fights emerged between the fans of the two actors, Chennai's Rohini Theatre witnessed a clash between fans of both the actors as they warred over posters and cutouts of their respective matinee idols.

It is said that Ajith fans were the first to reach the theatre as Thunivu was screened at 1am and it is said that some didn't take kindly to Vijay's posters at the theatre and tore them up. This upset Vijay fans and they too followed suit. Going by the videos doing the rounds, it seems like a bit of theatre property, too, was destroyed.

In several parts of the state, movie halls looked festive as fans burst crackers and celebrated the release. In a theatre called Anand Paradise, while one screen was to air Thunivu, the other one aired Varisu. When fans remained divided over the third screen. Finally, the issue was settled with a toss where Ajith fans who had rooted for Thala (heads) won and eventually, Thunivu was screened.

At AGS Cinemas in Chennai, giant cutouts of both the actors of equal size was erected and celebrations.

Tension prevailed at a cinema complex in Coimbatore as well where Ajith fans had thronged in large numbers for the FDFS and the Coimbatore police had to resort to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

There were some fun moments in other parts of the city, where exiting Ajith fans and entering Vijay fans shouted their matinee idol's name on top of their voices and that, too, became a competition of sorts. Security was upped in several parts of the state to avoid any untoward incidents.

The last time the onscreen rivals and the biggest stars of Tamil cinema, Ajith and Vijay had clashed was in 2014 when Ajith's Veeram and Vijay's Jilla released .In the meantime, The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the 4am and 5am shows of both films from January 13 to January 16.