With Producers’ Guild and Shyam Benegal backing Karan Johar, the end of the film’s problems might be within sight
It looks like Karan Johar’s dilemma surrounding the release of his film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, may be coming to an end. In a new development, the President of the Film Producers Guild Mukesh Bhatt and its Vice-President, Siddharth Roy Kapur, along with the CEO of Dharma Productions, Apoorva Mehta, flew down to Delhi and had a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Mukesh is glad that the Ministry has decided to give full police protection to get the film released, “As the President of the Guild, I felt it was my responsibility that nothing came in the way of the release of Karan’s film, since he has been a prominent member of our association. I felt that it was best to go straight where the buck stopped and approach the Home Minister. He has not only assured full protection, but also spoken to the Chief Ministers of all states to ensure that there is no law-and-order problem during the screening of the film. I am confident that barring one or two theatres, even the single screen theatres will now change their stance and release the film. Diwali is the time for all exhibitors to reap rich benefits,” he exulted.
Meanwhile, filmmaker Shyam Benegal, the head of CBFC revamp panel appointed by the Government, is disturbed by the way Karan has been taken to task by the MNS, “Why is he being targeted and why is his loyalty towards the nation being questioned? What is the problem? An artiste in his film happens to be a Pakistani, but that was a time when India and Pakistan were on the best of terms. Now, that the relations have deteriorated, how is it fair of him being asked not to release the film or to prevent him from doing so,” Benegal said.
He adds that it would have been a different ball-game if KJo’s was a political film. “The actor is not a politician either, he is merely an actor. Since when has he (Fawad Khan) become an enemy?” he said. “The Government should have clarified its stand on the matter earlier. It should have come out with a statement, so that people would know where they stood. After all, we are in a democracy and we have a popularly elected Government. Their decision matters and not the decision of a single political organisation,” he added. Justifying the single screen owners’ decision to abstain from the release of the film he said, “They are wary of mob sentiment and don’t want any damage to their theatres, so it is understandable.”
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