No Padmaavat screening in Gujarat: Multiplex owners

Owners of multiplexes and theatres on Wednesday decided not to screen Sanjay Leela Bhasali's Padmaavat a day before the movie is scheduled for a country-wide release. This comes a day after mobs rampaged cinemas and shops as well as damaged vehicles in the city. Multiplex owners said that their decision came in the larger interest of the safety of the viewers as well as properties of businessmen and individuals. A section of cinema operators are also sympathetic with the agitating Rajput under the leadership of Karni Sena.

Even after the Supreme Court gave the movie a go ahead for release, local multiplex operators decided not to screen Padmaavat owing to the violence. But many of the operators of national chains like Cinepolis, Cinemax and others had not cleared their stand on whether they will screen the movie or not till Tuesday. However, they changed their mind after Tuesday's violence and joined the local multiplex operators in not screening the movie on Wednesday.

"Today, officials of national chains told us that they will not screen the movie," Manubhai Patel, president of Gujarat Multiplex Owners Association told media persons in the city on Wednesday. "For us the safety of our viewers and that of the properties of businessmen and individuals are of utmost importance. We cannot compromise here. So as a part of precaution, we have decided not to screen the movie in any of the multiplexes in Gujarat. We will wait till some settlement between the film makers and protesters," said Patel.

There are about 120 multiplexes in the state, of which about 32 are in Ahmedabad.

Multiplex Association of India said that none of their members will show the movie. All our members have decided not to screen Padmaavat in Gujarat in view of prevailing law and order situation in the state, association president Deepak Asher said in a media statement. "The safety of our patrons and visitors are of paramount importance and since under present circumstances, it was apprehended that there could be a potential risk to their safety, all the members of the association have individually considered it prudent not to screen the movie at present," said Ashar.