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City shrugs off fear
Feb 13th
Taking Advantage Of Heavy Police Security & A Holiday, Mumbaikars Catch First-Day Screenings Of ‘My Name Is Khan’
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 13, 2010)
Mumbai: Whatever else he might have done, actor Shah Rukh Khan ensured one thing: that the city’s politicians took time off from their routine and spent a morning in a cinema hall—first-day, first-show no less. Which other actor can brag of such a fan following?
On Friday, Mumbai came out in large numbers despite the Shiv Sena’s threat to stay away from cinema halls screening ‘My Name Is Khan’. Leading the pack of cinegoers was home minister R R Patil. Others, such as MP Sanjay Nirupam and state minister Arif Nasim Khan, also watched the film, as did the likes of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Khakhi freely mixed with mufti at theatres, as cops roamed conspicuously and security arrangements were tight.
SOUTH MUMBAI
“Those who want to exhibit the film will be given complete protection,’’ said Patil. The politician brushed aside all talk of the government’s failure to give confidence to exhibitors. “We have assured them protection. Now they have to decide if they want to release the film,’’ he added, before walking in to watch ‘My Name Is Khan’ at Nariman Point’s Inox theatre.
Taking complete advantage of the Mahashivratri holiday, Mumbaikars came out in numbers to cinema halls. “Initially, we were hesitant but then thought the police would do their job and we should enjoy the film,’’ said consultant Rakesh Gupta, who watched the film with his wife.
Byculla resident Mehmood Shaikh, who also watched the movie, had a different reason for showing up. “I came to see the crowds and the media coverage the movie was getting,’’ he said rather honestly.
At Sterling cinema in the Fort area, a mother-daughter duo watched the film without any fear. “The only problem was the long checking process at the entrance, but I guess they were just doing their job,’’ said the daughter. “We were asked to show photo IDs, probably to prove we were not Shiv Sainiks,’’ she said.
WESTERN SUBURBS
While only a couple of cinema halls in the western suburbs had chosen to screen the film in the morning, by afternoon nobody wanted to lose out on the business. Cops were deployed in large numbers at multiplexes in Goregaon’s Oberoi Mall and Andheri’s Fun Republic. ACP (West) Amitabh Gupta and zonal DCP (West) K M M Prasanna were both personally present at the theatres to supervise security arrangements.
MP and Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam watched the first show at Andheri’s Fun Republic. “There were many people in the theatre, including kids,’’ claimed Nirupam. “This is a clear indication that people are rejecting the Sena’s so-called movement,’’ he said. State minister Arif Nasim Khan also came to watch the film with friends.
Crowds from the western suburbs were seen carrying banners in support of the movie. IIT-ian Saurabh Jain came with friends and said they would watch the film without fear. But cinema owners played safe by only selling tickets an hour before showtime. Needless to say, ticket counters were swamped with cine-goers.
On Friday morning, Sena supporters pelted stones and bottles at Fun Republic but the cops nabbed them promptly. At Cinemax in Kandivili (East), there was an attempt to disrupt the screening. “About 30 Sainiks were picked up as soon as they began to tear posters,’’ said Ajit Patil, DCP (zone 12). All the accused were hauled to the Samta Nagar police station. In Andheri (west), two BEST buses and an auto rickshaw were damaged. “We got calls saying shops were forcefully being made to shut down and BEST buses were stopped in Jawahar Nagar in Goregaon (west),’’ informed a senor police official. “The team reached the spot immediately but the miscreants couldn’t be traced,’’ he added.
EASTERN SUBURBS
Khan lovers from Dombivli, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar turned up at the Fame multiplex in Kalyan, only to be disappointed since the booking counter was closed. “The decision not to show any films for an undefined period has come from the top,’’ said an employee.
But Mumbaikars thronged single-screen theatres in the central and eastern suburbs. Kalpana theatre at Kamani Road in Kurla (west) showed the film at 12 noon with 349 seats filled. “All tickets went in current booking and the show went off without incident,’’ said theatre manager Babu Bhai. Cops from police stations at Kurla and VB Nagar were deployed at the cinema hall. On February 9, glass windows were shattered in the theatre. The management believes their legal advisor led the agitation. “The man has gone into hiding but we are looking for him,’’ said ACP (Kurla division) Prabhakar Satam.
The Ghatkopar-based single screen Shreyas cinema sold 35 tickets for the noon show—a third of normal capacity. “We decided to go ahead with the release after the zonal DCP personally led the security charge on the premises,’’ said an employee. Meanwhile, bandobast was beefed up at the Ghatkopar-based Cinemax theatre on Ram Narayan Narkar Marg where police officials from Pant Nagar, led by senior inspector MS Suryavanshi, provided security.
—Reported by Yogesh Naik, Mateen Hafeez, Vijay V Singh, Sanjeev Shivadekar, Nitasha Natu & V Narayan
Sena tears up truce, screens
Feb 10th
CM Assures Multiplexes of Adequate Security, Cops Make Preventive Arrests Across City
Bharati Dubey, V Narayan & Mateen Hafeez | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 10, 2010)
Mumbai: The terror after the truce on Tuesday took everyone by surprise. After promising to let Shahrukh say My Name Is Khan, the Shiv Sena went on the rampage again, attacking movie halls across the city where advance bookings for the film opened, prompting producer Karan Johar, distributors and multiplex owners to seek police protection.
Halls like Shreyas, Mehul and Huma Adlabs in the eastern suburbs and Metro in South Mumbai were attacked by Sainiks. Shiv Sena activists posing as cinegoers bought tickets to a show of Striker at Metro cinema, entered the hall and tore the screen in the evening. Earlier in the day, Sainiks barged into Huma Adlabs and tore up the screen during a show of 3 Idiots. The booking counter of Mehul Cinema at Mulund was ransacked, additional commissioner of police (east region) Ritesh Kumar told TOI.
Karan Johar alongwith distributors and exhibitors of the movie met police commissioner D Sivanandhan on Tuesday asking for security. “The police commissioner has assured us of adequate security,’’ said Johar.
The police, initially caught unawares by the Sena’s assurance not to disrupt the film, swung into action later. After the attacks, cinema halls had mobile police vans with about 18 policemen stationed outside them.Till late at night,over 350 Shiv Sainiks were arrested from across the city as a preventive measure. “Some were arrested for rioting while others were picked up as a preventive measure,’’ said Sivanandhan.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone IX) K M M Prasanna held meetings with theatre owners under his jurisdiction (Bandra to Juhu), comprising 17 screens. “We assured theatre owners of adequate police protection.’’ “Till 8pm we arrested 45 people for rioting, unlawful assembly and as preventive measures,” additional commissioner of police (West region) Amitabh Gupta said.
Cinema halls closed advance bookings after Tuesday’s incidents. Vishal Kapoor, COO, Fun Cinemas who attended the meeting on Tuesday morning, said, “We have been told there will be enough police security at the time of the relase and asked to open advance bookings. We did so on Monday but stopped it now. If things get better we shall open advance bookings on Wednesday.’’
Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (law and order), said distributors had given police a list of 63 cinema halls where the movie is to be screened. “We will deploy police at distributors’ offices and cinema halls and provide personal security to them if required. We have already given security to some distributors,’’ said Roy. He indicated cops in muftis will be present in cinema halls. “Before the audience is allowed in the cinema hall, there will be frisking,’’ he said. He added state reserve police force will be called in.
The film industry is not surprised. Mahesh Bhatt said, “In 1989, when Pakistan cricketerturned actor Mohsin Khan acted in my film Saathi, it met a similar fate.It was forced out of halls by the Sena because of his nationality.We spoke to Thackeray and got the impression the matter was resolved but later Mohsin was attacked outside RK Studio.’’ Film writer Dilip Thakur hopes it will be like Amitabh Bachchan’s Shahenshah.He said,“Maratha Mandir was cordoned off by the police, the film released smoothly and Bofors was forgotten.’’
Chavan assures protection
In a late-night meeting with distributors and multiplex owners, CM Ashok Chavan said the government is prepared to protect multiplexes. The meeting was attended by home minister R R Patil, minister of state Ramesh Bagwe, director-general of police A N Roy, additional chief secretary Chandra Iyengar.
Yogesh Naik | TNN
Cops detain 1000 Sainiks ahead of MNIK release
Feb 10th
By Agencies (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 10, 2010)
In a crackdown against Shiv Sena, over 1000 of its activists have been detained ahead of the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer My Name is Khan after the party stepped up its protest against the film over the actor’s remarks favouring inclusion of Pakistani cricketers in IPL.
“In the last 24 hours, a total of 1,023 Sainiks have been arrested. While 955 were picked up under the preventive action, the rest were put behind bars for different cases, including for protesting outside the theatre, vandalising screens among others,” police said.
Tight security has been provided to 63 theatres across the city where the movie is scheduled to be released on February 12, they said.
Guidelines have also been issued to all police stations by the city police chief regarding security arrangements.
Cinema halls have stopped advance bookings for My Name Is Khan following violent protests by Shiv Sena activists. Multiplex chains like PVR and Cinemax withdrew their advance bookings for the film, as did single-screen theatres like Mehul in Mulund and Shreyas in Ghatkopar, their officials said. “We have shut the advance bookings for the film as of now. It may open around 4pm today but nothing is certain at present,” Girish Wankhede, deputy general manager (corporate communication) of Cinemax, said.
Pramod Madhve, an official from Mehul Theatre, said: “Nothing about the film’s release is fixed yet. We hope to receive updates by tomorrow. But the advance bookings have been shut for now.” A Shreyas Theatre official said: “Bookings have been closed as of now, we should be in a position to tell you about the release by tomorrow.”
According to TV channels, major multiplexes like PVR, Big Cinemas, Adlabs and Fun Cinemas too have closed their advance booking windows for the movie.
The Sena has renewed its threat not to allow the release of “My Name…” unless the Bollywood star retracts his statement favouring inclusion of Pakistani players in IPL-3.
“We will not allow the movie to be released. Shah Rukh should first apologise to Balasaheb (Thackeray) and then only we can talk with him,” Sena leader Manohar Joshi said yesterday.
In wake of the Sena intensifying protests against Khan, leaves of the city’s policemen have been cancelled to ensure their full presence. To further strengthen security, personnel from State Reserve Police Force and Home Guards will be deployed at the 63 theatres that will screen the film here.
Karan Johar, director and co-producer of the film, on Tuesday met police commissioner D Sivanandhan to discuss security issues ahead of the movie’s release.
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.
INSIDE STORY: How MNIK managed to get a release in Mumbai
Feb 13th
Posted by Fenil Seta in Bollywood News
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The State Government has claimed that My Name is Khan was screened at 13 multiplexes and single screen theatres. Sena claims its protest was successful. While Shah Rukh Khan claims he has stood his ground.
How did an impasse that did not look resolvable any time soon and threatened to throw the city out of gear, end on a truce within a day? According to sources, it took some massive backroom negotiations and a little bit of arm twisting by the government to achieve that.
It was a matter of political prestige and the Democratic Front government had to put in all its might. Multiplex chains and theatre owners were threatened that if despite all security assurances they did not screen the SRK-starrer, the tax rebates they enjoy currently would be withdrawn.
Shiv Sena was allegedly cajoled to an understanding that it had had enough time in the sun and it was in the best interest of the party that it ceded ground.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s office assured that the government would provide Sena an environment to claim a successful protest. A bit of pressure in the form a threat to treat arrested Shiv Sainiks as criminals and not political workers sealed the deal.
As for Shah Rukh, he was reportedly asked to send another tweet regretting his comments that may have hurt sentiments without changing his stand.
The impasse all through was closely monitored by the Congress High Command in Delhi.
Backroom tactics
According to sources in the establishment and the theatre industry, when on Thursday evening it appeared that despite heavy force deployment theatre owners were reluctant to release the film, the government decided to take a strong step.
An exhibitor told Mumbai Mirror, “On Thursday evening a message was sent to all the exhibitors from the government that they could lose their tax benefits if the film was not released. It was reiterated on Friday.”
Similarly backroom negotiations with Sena were held. A senior functionary in the establishment said, “The Sena was told that it had had its protests and now it was a question of the government’s prestige.
If agitations were not stopped, it would take unprecedented harsh action against Sena workers. So it was in the best interest of Sena to withdraw the agitation and the government would let it claim success.”
By Friday afternoon, SRK too was instructed to subtly apologise and so the tweet of regret: “If I have said anything wittingly or unwittingly, have disturbed any sentiments, I express wholehearted regret.” Even though he later said this was meant only for his fans.
The result: kudos for CM Chavan from the Congress high command. Rajiv Shukla, Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra said, “If at all, full credit goes to the Chief Minister who handled the situation firmly.”
Elsewhere, the Sena issued a statement, claiming a successful agitation. “We never insisted Shah Rukh to apologise to Sena. Our stand was that he should apologise to the nation. The country is bigger (than anybody). We stood up against Khan out of patriotic fervour,” said a press statement.
What happened on the ground
However, the government had to move a lot of things on the ground as well to make the backroom negotiations successful.
To ensure minimal damage to the theatres, some 48,000 policemen were on the streets as it had become a prestige issue for Chief Minister Ashok Chavan who was seen struggling with the political juggernaut coming his way in the last two-three days.
The CM, who appeared fighting his personal battle with no Congress minister except Narayan Rane and Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe speaking on his side, got some respite with Home Minister R R Patil coming in for help.
Sources said, Patil asked senior police officers to speak to the theatre owners and assure them of state protection even after the release of the movie. That made a significant difference, as it is the Home Department and the police that handles issue of the cinema licences.
To restore the confidence of the theatre owners, CM Chavan, Patil and Bagwe visited a few cinema houses on Friday afternoon. MP Sanjay Nirupam went along with his supporters to watch the movie at Fun Cinemas in Andheri.
When contacted by this newspaper, the CM refused to elaborate on his plans for the release of the movie. “The government has made every effort to protect the theatres and the viewers who wanted to enjoy the movie,” he said. Though he did not speak much, he seemed a much relieved man as a non-release would have had an adverse effect on his chair.
Patil told this newspaper that the movie was released in almost 13 multiplexes and single screen theatres. “Our policemen have taken every care to stall any effort to disrupt the screening,” he said.
According to police sources, the movie released at Fun (Andheri), Inox (Nariman Point), PVR (Goregaon), Fame (Malad), Cinemax (Ghatkopar and Kandivali), Big (Wadala), Regal (Colaba), Ashish (Chembur), Kalpana (Kurla), Shreyas (Ghatkopar), Premier (Dongri and Parel).