Theatres stop screening Mahesh Bhatt’s film in Gujarat

Most of the multiplexes and cinema theatres in major cities of Gujarat stopped screening Mahesh Bhatt’s film Tum Mile following Mahagujarat Janta Party (MJP)’s demand. At couple of places MJP workers protested screening of the film.

MJP had demanded ban following Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul’s connection with David Headley, the US national, arrested by FBI for allegedly plotting attacks in India at the LeT’s behest.

According to the Multiplex Association of Gujarat, no formal instructions have been issued in this regard to its members but, most of them have decided not to screen the Imran Hashmi and Soha Ali Khan starrer film released last week.

Amit Bhavsar of the MJP said that the Apsara and Aradhna theatres in Kankaria area of the city tried to screen the film Tum Mile. MJP is lead by Gordhan Zadafia, ex-state home minister in the Narendra Modi government. Zadafia along with some of the BJP rebels had later formed the MJP.

“We had to force the theatre owner to cancel screening of the film in Aradhna and Apsara theatre. All the multiplex in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Anand, Nadiad have adhered to our demand and cancelled the screening of the Mahesh Bhatt film,” Bhavsar said.

According, to police, the MJP workers had done slogan shouting and broken a few windows of the theatre. They said that there was no formal complaint lodged against the MJP workers.

In Rajkot, multiplex Comsmoplex, canceled screening of the film today. Yesterday, city MJP workers had shouted slogans against Mahesh Bhatt and burst crackers inside the cinema hall and destroyed posters of the film forcing audience to leave the theatre.

In Surat, some 15 members of the MJP were detained by the police while they were protesting against screening of the Bhatt film in some cinema theaters. Later they were released. The film is being screened in some places in the state capital Gandhinagar, sources said.

Jadafia had yesterday said that his party has asked for a state-wide ban of the film ‘Tum Mile’ because Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul had connection with terror suspect Headley.