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Posts tagged bal thackeray
Plexes: 1 film not worth risk
Feb 12th
FILM UNDER A CLOUD: CM Ashok Chavan feels plex owners are unduly afraid
THE TIMES OF INDIA (February 12, 2010)
Mumbai: The multiplex owners’ apprehensions, besides being a major embarrassment for chief minister Ashok Chavan and his government, put huge pressure on Shah Rukh Khan to make it up to the Thackerays as a film’s performance in Mumbai can make or mar its overall fortunes. A teleconference between the actor (in Berlin) and the producers came off in the evening, when Khan was formally told of the theatre owners’ decision.
Khan stuck to his decision not to “apologise’’ to anyone but the ‘tweets’ he sent out during the day were markedly conciliatory. “(I) feel awful that Balasaheb and Uddhav have misconstrued my words. The reactions of the Sena workers seem to make me believe that. Don’t want mayhem, anger and violence ‘cos of our beautiful film which talks about repairing a bruised and divided world. I hope my tweets clear this cloud of confusion. I hope peace prevails and the city is at rest. Nobody wants Mumbaikars or their property hurt and destroyed, least of all me. This also is the last time I clarify or say anything on this topic. This is not a justification, it’s just reiterating the facts,’’ he said. But he seemed to have resigned himself to the no-show. “Now what happens with the release, the film, is the film’s fate,’’ he tweeted.
Mumbai’s multiplex owners, too, seemed to have resigned themselves to living with the Sena. “I think the uncertainty over the release of one film and the risk we would have taken by releasing it, is not worth it. Several other films are showing in my multiplex and I don’t want to lose that revenue as well,’’ a multiplex owner in the central suburbs said. His was one of the cinemas targeted by the Sena on Tuesday.
Another multiplex owner from Navi Mumbai admitted the government’s assurances paled in comparison to the fear factor. “A plex screen costs between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 11 lakh and one stone can damage it irretrievably. Why should we take the risk?’’ he added.
There is another huge fact that plex owners had to bear in mind when they decided that life without MNIK probably made more sense in the current circumstances. Most multiplexes run on leased property and owners say they can’t bear the consequences of damage to that property for one film. “We have to live with the Sena and don’t have the confidence that cops can give us blanket security cover 365 days a year,’’ a western suburbs mall owner admitted. “We will wait till Friday morning to take a final call,’’ he added.
Chief minister Chavan and home minister Patil, however, felt the plex owners were chickening out without reason, regretting that cops, trained to tackle terrorism and the Naxal threat, had to be diverted to take care of problems that did not have “any solid issue’’. “I said the issue should be settled amicably but people misconstrued it as softness,’’ he said.
Congress circles, however, felt the government had been backstabbed by Patil’s leader, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. “The decision to meet Bal Thackeray immediately after Rahul Gandhi’s whirlwind tour of the city, which had the Sena squirming, gave Balasaheb that much-needed lifeline,’’ a senior Congress functionary said. The Sena did not take too much time to latch on to that lifeline. Leaders bragged on Friday that the decision to go after MNIK had, in one stroke, exposed the “soft’’ chief minister, brought the Congress down to earth after the Rahul Gandhi-provided high and “showed Raj Thackeray his place’’.
Distributors slam CM, Patil
Feb 12th
FEAR PERSISTS: Police guard a multiplex on Thursday
Prafulla Marpakwar | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 12, 2010)
Mumbai: Amid uncertainty over the release of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name Is Khan, both chief minister Ashok Chavan and home minister R R Patil were at the receiving end for their inept handling of the issue.
While Chavan and Patil on Thursday claimed they were helpless as distributors backtracked, theatre owners blamed it on both the chief minister and home minister saying they would not screen the film as they had lost confidence in the government. “Instead of initiating a dialogue with Uddhav Thackeray, Chavan was threatening to withdraw security cover provided to the Thackerays. The inept handling left us with no option but to postpone the release,’’ a leading theatre owner said.
Defending himself, the CM said, “The role of my government is limited. If the film producer is keen on releasing the film on Friday as scheduled, my responsibility is to provide adequate security cover. My government has done so but now it appears the producers are in two minds on screening the film on Friday. Yet, we will ensure its safe release if they screen the film,’’ Chavan said.
R R Patil expressed his strong displeasure over the decision of theatre owners and film producers to postpone the screening of the film. “They had asked for more security and stringent action against Sena activists. We deployed police officials all over the metropolis, arrested over 3,000 Sena activists and most of them have been remanded either to police or judicial custody. But now it appears the film distributors have changed their stand,’’ Patil said. “I specifically told the producers that we have a law to recover damages caused by violent agitations and assured them that the entire loss will be recovered from the Sena,’’ Patil said.
Denying that the refusal of the distributors to release the film in the state was an embarrassing situation for the Congress-led Democratic Front government, Patil said they appear to have taken the decision under pressure from different quarters. “As a home minister, my responsibility is to provide security. Even after doing so if the producers postpone their plan, I am helpless,’’ Patil said.
Significantly, a section of senior Congress and NCP ministers felt both Chavan and Patil failed to assess the situation, despite specific inputs from intelligence agencies. “Whatever the Congress gained following Rahul Gandhi’s visit was lost in a single day,’’ a senior Congress minister said. Secondly, he said, NCP president Sharad Pawar’s marathon meeting with Sena chief Bal Thackeray proved to be counterproductive. “After Gandhi’s visit, the Sena was on the backfoot, but following Pawar’s meeting with Thackeray, the party got fresh momentum,’’ he added.
Multiplexes in Mumbai stop MNIK bookings
Feb 10th
Despite halls being vandalised, and threat of Sena protests, Shah Rukh and Karan Johar say… Khan WILL release this week
By Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 10, 2010)
With the Shiv Sena going on the rampage against the theatres screening My Name Is Khan, the sudden and violent change of stance after indicating a truce has shocked the film industry.
Several Sena dominated pockets of the city including Mulund, Kanjurmarg, Ghatkopar and Chembur witnessed attacks on theatres planning to screen My Name Is Khan. Huma Adlabs, Shreyas, Ashish and Metro were among the theatres attacked.
Yesterday, the film’s producer Karan Johar met up with Police Commissioner D Sivanandan to discuss the situation. While the police has warned of strict action against troublemakers and over 200 arrests were made on Tuesday, the situation remains volatile. And bearing the brunt are the theatres.
“We are waiting to hear from the distributors (Fox Cinemas) to take an official stand on whether or not to go ahead with the release of My Name Is Khan. It is as much their decision as ours,” said Shunali Shroff of Fame Big Cinemas, adding, “Hopefully, by Wednesday morning, things should get resolved.”
Devang Sampat, GM Marketing, Cinemax said, “We are yet to take a call on this. I have still to speak to the operation team since this is more of an operation call.”
Meanwhile, in an interview to a television channel, Shah Rukh Khan said that while he has had a warm relationship with Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, he didn’t feel there was anything he had said which he should apologise for. He also said that he had not sought any appointment with them to sort out the issue.
It may be recalled that the Shiv Senas had taken an objection to Shah Rukh’s comment that Pakistani cricket players should be allowed to play in the IPL.
At the time of going to press, representatives from all the multiplexes were in a meeting with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to find a solution to the impasse.
SRK, Sena wind down, film may open peacefully
Feb 7th
STARRY RETURN: Shah Rukh at Mumbai airport on his return from London where he had been to promote his film My Name Is Khan
Bharati Dubey & Ambarish Mishra | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 7, 2010)
Mumbai: Both parties in the Shiv Sena-Shah Rukh Khan feud appeared to climb down a little on Saturday without backing off from their ideological positions amid talk that a Bollywood actor and a senior state politician had played mediator between the party and the actor.
The Sena, despite insisting that Khan was a “traitor’’ for taking up the cause of Pakistani players who were not picked by any team for IPL, said on Saturday that it was not interested in disrupting the screening of his next release, My Name Is Khan.
The first Sena official comment—on not wanting to disrupt the film—came, significantly, a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declined the safety of a helicopter and travelled by Mumbai’s lifeline, the local train, through some traditional Sena bastions, sending out an unmistakably strong political rejoinder to the Sena and its agenda.
Khan’s comments, too, after he touched down in Mumbai on Saturday morning, were much more guarded than those he had made abroad. Not once did he say he had said anything wrong—when he commented on Pakistani players not being picked for IPL teams (his own team did not pick any)—but he made the right noises to indicate that he was not interested in taking the war of words forward in the run-up to the release of his film on February 12.
But the Sena’s climbdown, a day after the Gandhi scion took the wind out of its sails, was slightly more spectacular despite the potshots it took at the Congress and Khan.
In an editorial in Saamna, Sena chief Bal Thackeray said: “The Congress is free to rule the country in the manner it thinks is proper. Let Pakistan carry on its terrorist activity in Mumbai and let Shah Rukh Khan release his film with the blessings of the Gandhi Dynasty. The Sena will not do anything.’’
‘Why should Sena alone suffer?’ Mumbai: While the Shiv Sena said on Saturday that it would not hold up the screening of Shah Rukh Khan’s next film, My Name Is Khan, the actor indcated that he was not interested in taking the war of words forward.
Sena CEO Uddhav Thackeray told TOI on Saturday: “Why should the Sena alone stick its neck out on terrorism or regional pride? Pak-sponsored terrorism is a major threat to India and Mumbai’s security. However, the Congress leaders are not willing to take a firm stand on these issues as they believe in taking orders from 10 Janpath. Other political parties too keep mum on this sensitive issues. So why should Shiv Sainiks suffer police excesses and imprisonment. Matoshree, after all, is also on the hit-list of Pak terrorists.’’
On his part, Khan said it was sad that his remarks on Pakistani cricketers in the IPL had been misconstrued. Asked if he would go to Matoshree to explain his position, Khan said Bal Thackeray was a senior leader and he had gone to his residence whenever he was called. “I have been there so often. Yes, I would like to go and have a drink with him,’’ he said. But he also said he did not think the current issue merited any conversation. “If my stand needs to be explained to someone, I have already done it. I don’t think there is an issue on that front,’’ he said.
Khan, however, left a window open for conversation. “If there has been any misunderstanding, let’s be gracious and talk it out,’’ he added. “I think what I said was misconstrued. I am what I am because of Mumbai and I would like everyone in Mumbai to be happy. I think what is happening is very unfortunate. I think all the groups also want Mumbaikars to be happy. Then why create this kind of atmosphere?’’
In New Delhi, chief minister Ashok Chavan weighed in, saying it would act against anyone trying to “bully’’ others. “All movies, be it of Shah Rukh’s or anybody else’s, if they are approved by the censor board, will run and the government will protect them. We will make sure that not only the Shiv Sena, but any person or organisation trying to create disturbance is dealt with strictly as per the law of the land,’’ he said. “Even I will go and watch those movies.’’
Asked why his own team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, had not picked any Pakistani player, the actor said his team was keen on taking Abdul Razzaq. “But my coach informed me later that he had a finger injury. There was a slot available but one should also take into consideration the prevailing atmosphere,’’ he added.
He, however, refused to comment on the reasons for the Sena backing off. “I really don’t know that and cannot comment on a group’s thinking or working pattern. But I am thankful that now the film will be released without any stress. There are 250 people involved in the film. I am really happy to know that me and my film are being taken as two different entities,’’ he said.
He also said arts, sports and culture could help build ties with other countries and should be encouraged. Told that Thackeray had called him a traitor, the actor said, “It feels really awkward for me to explain that I am an Indian and not a bad one and love my country. I don’t need to prove it to anyone.’’
He added: “I really felt like crying when I was being questioned for being a regular Indian. It hurt me even more when my daughter called and asked me, ‘Papa, do we have to leave India?’ I had to send my wife, Gauri, back to be with the children.’’
Sena demands action against Rahul
Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday demanded that the state should take action against Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his statements on the role of north Indians in protecting Mumbai during the 26/11 terror attacks. “He has made serious statements about the Indian forces. Such statements can lead to division in Indian army and result in disintegration of nation” said Uddhav in Pune. TNN
SRK flick will get cop cover
Feb 2nd
Mani D’Mello | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 2, 2010)
Mumbai: Even as police commissioner D Sivanandhan assured the city that “no attacks on theatres screening actor Shah Rukh Khan’s yet-to-be released film My Name is Khan will be tolerated,” exhibitors and distributors Shringar Films Ltd are believed to have written a letter to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray stating that they will not be releasing the movie unless it is cleared by him.
However, when contacted, company director B Shroff refused to comment. Officially the release date of the film (Feb 12) remains unchanged.
On Monday, CM Ashok Chavan and home minister R R Patil discussed the issue with the police.
Shiv Sena wants SRK films out of theatres
Jan 30th
DEMANDING APOLOGY: MLA Eknath Shinde (centre) led sainiks to a Thane mall where they staged a protest against Shah Rukh Khan
Nitin Yeshwantrao | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; January 30, 2010)
Thane: The Shiv Sena’s Thane unit on Friday ordered a ban on all Shah Rukh Khan movies in the city and “appealed’’ to owners of multiplex and single-screen theatres not to put up posters of the actor and his next release, My Name Is Khan.
Sena leader and local MLA Eknath Shinde, who led a group of sainiks to Eternity Mall in Thane on Friday, said the star owed an apology to the nation and their party chief Bal Thackeray for his remarks on the exclusion of Pakistan players from the IPL-3.
Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Saamna, has carried an article expressing resentment against Shah Rukh—owner of Kolkata Knight Riders—for his reported statement in favour of Pakistani cricketers. The mouthpiece also criticised the actor for his objection to Bal Thackeray’s opposition to Australian cricketers; the leader wanted a ban on the Aussies in Mumbai following the attacks on Indians in Australia.
“Balasaheb had opposed the entry of Australians to the state to protest against the attacks on Indians in Melbourne. As a nationalist, he echoed the sentiment of scores of Indians. For Khan, however, all this is a business deal and about more profits. But we will not allow Australians to play in the state,’’ Shinde said.
Shah Rukh was not available for comment.
The Kolkota Knight Riders owner had expressed his reservations against boycotting Pakistani players from IPL-3 and had said he was eager to buy Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzak for his team. But he also said he would not prefer to stick his neck out and would go with the tide.
Shah Rukh’s statements triggered a reaction among Sainiks who mobbed Eternity Mall on Friday and shouted slogans against him. They also tore a poster of him and, in a meeting with multiplex management, “advised’’ them against screening of his films. “The actor seems to have a soft corner for Pakistan when the whole world has watched how 10 LeT gunmen from Pakistan unleashed terror on Mumbai last year,’’ Shinde told TOI.
The government rushed to Shah Rukh’s help with minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe saying, “Should the actor approach the state, we will provide him with additional security cover.’’ The minister said Shah Rukh was merely voicing his opinion and he was entitled to his views. “If the Sena takes law in their hands, they will invite stern action,’’ Bagwe said.
Theatre managements hope that the Sena will soften its stand. “There is no Shah Rukh movie playing now and his new release is slated for the second week of February. Hopefully, the issue will be resolved by then,’’ a manager of a multiplex said.
Crack down on Sena, Congress tells state
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to get tough with the Shiv Sena for threatening actor Shah Rukh Khan for his willingness to hire Pakistani cricketers in his Kolkata Knight Riders for the forthcoming series. “To deal with such threats, law should take its own course,” said party spokesman Manish Tiwari. He added that such threats by the Sena were a clear breach of the established norms and a provocation. Regretting that some political parties had scant respect for the country’s secular ethos and diverse culture, Tiwari said, “They want to communalise everything.” TNN
Jhenda delayed after Rane Jr’s objection
Jan 8th
Ambarish Mishra | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; January 8, 2010)
Mumbai: Jhenda (Flag), a Marathi film by Avadhut Gupte, has stirred a hornet’s nest in political circles. Now, Congress minister Narayan Rane’s son, Nitesh Rane has objected to the plot of the film, which reportedly portrays the Raj -Uddhav Thackeray feud.
Swabhimaan, a socio-cultural outfit floated by Nitesh, has taken exception to a character in the film. Nitesh has alleged that the character closely resembles his father. Gupte has denied the charge, but has promised to make the necessary changes.
Jhenda, which was slated for release on Friday, has been postponed by a week. The Shiv Sena, however, has backed the film, which they said shows Uddhav in “a good light”. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, headed by Raj, has also agreed to okay Jhenda, though party activists have “certain misgivings” about the flick.
Gupte has maintained that his debutante venture is not so much a filmi take on the Uddhav-Raj spat as a tale of how politics affects the GenNext. The Sena-MNS activists are unanimous that Jhenda delineates the long-drawn war between the estranged Thackeray cousins.
“The film is a story of dynastic politics. Two young politicians, depicted as Uddhav-Raj clones, are the film’s protagonists,” pointed out a senior Sena functionary on Thursday, adding, “However, Jhenda has a pro-Uddhav tilt.”
Gupte organised a special screening for Bal Thackeray at Matoshree recently and the 80-plus Sena patriarch okayed the flick, much to the director’s relief, it is learnt.
A show was organised for MNS functionaries too at a suburban mall on Wednesday. Raj Thackeray has instructed his followers not to obstruct the film’s release as it is produced and directed by Gupte, a Marathi manoos. “But, we have certain misgivings about Jhenda,” said an MNS functionary. He added, “Gupte had set to tune a signature song for the Sena during the 2007 BMC election campaign. He is a good friend of Uddhav’s. That makes us suspicious about the film.”
