There Were No ‘Hired Fans’ at Tom Cruise Visit: Wizcraft

Wizcraft, organisers of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise's India visit, has denied claims that fans had been hired for the star's recent visit.

The organisers told the BBC that they were "not aware of this" and that the "information is incorrect."

There were reports of 200 people being hired to cheer the star at the Mumbai airport on Saturday. According to media reports, "fans" were paid £2.5 to £5 ($3.87 to $7.73) to welcome the star who was at the airport for less than ten minutes.

A few of the "fans" were not sure who they were welcoming, despite carrying placards reading, "We love Tom Cruise," "Tom - chak de India," and "Tom Cruises," the BBC has quoted from a report in the Times of India newspaper.

"We're not certain, but 300 rupees for an hour outside the airport is not bad," the paper quoted one of the "hired fans" as saying.

However, a Wizcraft spokeswoman has denied the claims and told the Wall St Journal's India Real Time that the story was "sensationalist." "We are not aware of any such arrangement," she added.

Cruise was on a two-day visit to India for a special screening of his latest film "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" ahead of its global release. The screening on Sunday was attended by several Bollywood stars including Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar.

Cruise also visited Taj Mahal, the monument of love, on Saturday. The movie directed by Brad Bird will be released in India on December 16.