BJP members protest screenings.
By Sreejith Vallikunnu
Shahrukh Khan’s Dilwale and Ranveer Singh-starrer Bajirao Mastani faced protest from India’s ruling Baratiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Pune.
All shows of Bajirao Mastani were cancelled on Friday by a multiplex in Pune after protests from BJP workers. Several BJP workers gathered outside Pune’s City pride theatre and alleged that the movie is an attempt to distort history.
“The filmmakers have completely distorted the historical facts of the Peshwa era of the early 1700s and has actually portrayed him in an insulting manner. The people of Maharashtra virtually worship the Peshwas so we cannot tolerate what is being depicted in this film,” BJP’s city vice president Jayant Bhave told IANS.
Bhave also complained that the depiction of Peshwa Bajirao’s wife Kashibai portrayed by actress Priyanka Chopra is also in poor taste as royalty never behaved in such fashion those days.
The film portrays the life of Maratha leader Peshwa Bajirao and his love towards his second wife Mastani, who was part Hindu and part Muslim.
Meanwhile, the movie was also banned in Pakistan, as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) of Pakistan refused to issue a no-objection certificate for the film, terming it anti-Muslim.
The SRK-Kajol starrer Dilwale has faced protest from BJP’s youth wing — Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). Their protest was against Shahrukh Khan’s statement on intolerance in the country.
According to The Hindustan Times, a group of BJYM activists protested outside several multiplexes in Jabalpur and Pune, which resulted in the opening shows to be cancelled.
“Those who talk of intolerance in India and leaving the country should go live in Pakistan. Why should we watch their movie? And Shah Rukh’s apology on his statement didn’t sound (like it was) a true apology, he sounded arrogant,” Hindustan Times quoted BJYM leader Sonu Bachhani as saying.