FURORE, FEAR, FIRE
pull plug in 4 BJP-ruled states; Karni Sena enforces ‘Janata’ curfew; Mumbai cinemas deploy bouncers
There is fresh trouble for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat: the Multiplex Association has said that its members would not screen the controversial film in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.
Gujarat theatre owners have already buckled under threats of vandalism and decided not to screen the film anywhere in the state. Some theatre owners in Delhi-NCR may also follow suit.
Spearheading the protests is the Karni Sena, which has imposed a virtual ‘janata curfew’ to stop the screening. Meanwhile, there was no letup in the violence – mostly in BJP ruled states -- for which, curiously, Kalvi is blaming Bhansali. The political leadership in these states maintained a stoic silence.
Sample the extent of the disruption: Protesters burnt a bus and blocked roads in parts of Haryana and in Rajasthan; they forced shops to shut in Uttar Pradesh and attacked vehicles in Gujarat; sporadic violence was reported in Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. And in Rajasthan, the Chittorgarh Fort has been closed as scores of Rajput women are "ready" to commit "jauhar" or mass immolation.
There are prohibitory orders in Gurgaon, with large gatherings banned. The police said protesters will be not be allowed within 200 metres of movie halls, even as many of the city's 40 cinemas said they will not screen Padmaavat.
Besides the Delhi-Jaipur highway, traffic was hit on the Delhi-Ajmer highway as protesters burnt tyres to enforce a blockade. In Indore, nearly 200 protesters blocked the National Highway 3, which links Agra and Mumbai. There, the protesters broke glass bottles to stop traffic movement on the road.
Defiant and remorseless, the Karni Sena leader said that he and other outfit leaders may be arrested and bullets may be fired but the protest would continue. "January 25 may come and go but we won't allow the release, come what may," he said.
Kalvi further claimed that Shiv Sena leaders had assured the Karni Sena of support in Maharashtra. An exhibitor from the State, who did not wish to be named, however, said his chain of theatres is ready for the release. "We will abide by the Supreme Court's order and screen the film as we have got a fantastic advance booking. We have faith in the state government and the police," he said.
Heavy security was deployed last evening during a media screening of "Padmaavat" at a mall in Mumbai. Police sources said they will continue to remain stationed there "at least for the next two days", and once the film is released, they will assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the Padmaavat’s tryst with the Supreme Court does not seem to be ending! A lawyer, who failed in his twin attempts to get the Deepika Padukone-starrer stalled, filed his third petition against the film on the eve of its all-India release and mentioned it before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra.