Show organiser Asianet said "things were completely out of control" when more than 15,000 fans tried to crowd into a venue meant for half as many to watch the final episode of Mammootty The Best Actor Award 2009, The National reported Monday.
Fans pushed through barriers outside the Dubai Airport Expo and overwhelmed the security staff during the show last Friday.
"I saw a lady falling and people stamping over her. Her family managed to pick her up finally," E.M. Bashir, 40, a resident of Al Rashidiya, was quoted as saying.
"The mental and physical trauma of the evening was too much. I was hit by a guard and so was my wife. This was too much for us, and we left."
The show, which was to start at 7.30 p.m., finally began about 9.15 p.m. By that time, many fans who held tickets had left because of the crowd and the confusion.
"People standing there holding their tickets for up to eight hours were just asked to leave," said Abid Aska, an Indian businessman who said he paid Dh5,000 ($1,400) for five tickets to the event.
"One of the guards was shouting out, saying the programme was cancelled.
"I reached there with my family at 4 p.m. to avoid the rush and we were just sitting in front of the gates until 8.30 p.m. Very few real fans got to see the show."
The one-hour reality show has aired for the past several months on the Malayalam TV channel Asianet, leading up to the final episode Friday night. The 16 original participants were chosen from a field of more than 1,000 hopeful actors. They were asked to perform characters in roles Mammootty has played and were judged on how well they did.
The organisers apologised to the fans Sunday.
