As chief minister Ashok Chavan softens stand on Sena, many exhibitors stop advance booking while Maratha Mandir pulls out of screening My Name Is Khan.
With a day to go for the release of My Name Is Khan, Mumbai’s theatre and multiplex owners virtually passed a no-confidence motion against the Ashok Chavan government. Though there were no untoward incidents on Wednesday, Tuesday’s violent protests and the aggressive stance by Shiv Sena activists were enough to puncture any faith exhibitors may have reposed in the state government to ensure the smooth release of the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer.
To make matters worse, within 24 hours of Chavan’s tough talk and police commissioner D Sivanandhan’s assurance to producer-director Karan Johar, the chief minister called for “political dialogue” to water down the crisis, a far cry from the hard stand of the previous day. Complicating the issue further for Chavan is that the home ministry is held by the Congress’s alliance partner, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), whose priorities were clearly different — NCP president Sharad Pawar had met Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Sunday, but only to convince him not to create obstacles for Australian cricketers’ participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sources said only Fun Cinemas and Inox had opened their ticket counters for advance booking on Wednesday. The other cinema halls — single screen and multiplexes — did not want to invite trouble though police presence was visible at all the theatres where the movie is to be screened.
Sena, meanwhile, won over its own people and recovered from the loss of face it suffered during Rahul Gandhi’s one-day visit when he played a master-stroke by travelling on a Mumbai local to show the party up. Consider the rejuvenated spirit of the workers — over 1,600 Sena activists had been arrested by the police in the last 24 hours.
Khan is facing the party’s ire because he came out in support of Pakistani cricketers participating in IPL matches, and the timing of the release of My Name Is Khan was just right for the Sena to make it a high-pitch campaign.
“If things are not resolved before February 12 (the release date), My Name Is Khan will see heavy losses as advance bookings will draw a blank. That will mean a big hole in the pocket for the producers as Mumbai is the biggest market,” said a highly-placed multiplex official.
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