Bangalore, Dec. 30: Frenzied film fans mourning the demise of Kannada matinee idol Vishnuvardhan this morning threw stones and damaged public property in some localities even as businesses downed shutters, a scene reminiscent of the total shutdown of the city three years ago following the death of superstar Rajkumar.

The unruly scenes, however, were restricted to some south and west Bangalore localities and near Basavanagudi, where Vishnuvardhan’s body was placed for public viewing before the funeral. Police had to lob tear-gas shells and cane the crowds to control the situation.

A veteran of some 197 films, Vishnuvardhan, 59, was long considered the biggest Kannada star after Rajkumar. At one point he also bore the brunt of rumour and controversy over an incident that supposedly endangered Rajkumar’s life on the sets of the 1973 movie Gandhadha Gudi (Temple of Sandalwood), their only film together.

In an industry famous for affixing titles to its male stars, Vishnuvardhan was known as Sahasa Simha (Adventurous Lion) for his stunts though he later acted in an eponymous movie.

Vishnuvardhan died of cardiac arrest early this morning in a hospital in Mysore, his hometown, where he had been staying for the past few days to treat a leg pain. He is survived by wife Bharathi, an actress, and two daughters.

The Karnataka government declared a holiday for educational institutions while businesses in areas such as Basavanagudi and in west Bangalore’s Rajajinagar and Magadi Road downed shutters fearing trouble.

Following Rajkumar’s death in April 2006, Bangalore had shut down for two days over which violent mobs damaged scores of private vehicles, buses and buildings. Clashes between mobs and the police had claimed eight lives.

In the clashes today, at least 50 buses belonging to the state-run Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation were damaged in stone throwing.