'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' makers approaches police for security to screen film

Amid veiled threat by MNS of vandalism at multiplexes if they screen Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" for featuring a Pakistani actor, the film's producers today met Mumbai's top police officials seeking protection for the theatres to screen it.

A team from Johar's Dharma Productions along with filmmaker Mukesh Bhatt met Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattaray Padsalgikar and Joint Police Commissioner (law and order)Deven Bharti, and sought protection for the theatres to screen to soon-to-be-released film.

Mukesh Bhatt is the president of Film and Television Producers Guild of India.

"Mumbai police will provide adequate protection to cinema theatres as and when required," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said.

The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on October 17 had said it would intensify its opposition to Karan Johar's film as it features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. They issued a veiled threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened it.

The opposition by MNS and some other political parties to films with actors from Pakistan in the aftermath of Uri terror attack has put a question mark on the fate of Johar's film.

"We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state. If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets," MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said on October 17

The party did not favour employing and cherishing the Pakistani actors so its opposition to such films will continue, he said.

"We will also oppose Shah Rukh Khan's 'Raees' though it is slated to release in January," Khopkar had said.

The single-screen theatre operators have announced that they would not screen Johar's upcoming film, but there was no similar assurance from the multiplex operators so MNS made its stand clear, the party had said.

The Karan Johar-directed "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" stars Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma in lead roles and also features Fawad Khan.