Right-wing members, in their protest against actor Shah Rukh Khan’s latest movie Pathaan, tore down posters of the film at a theatre in Hyderabad’s Kachiguda. Even as the film is garnering rave reviews, Bajrang Dal activists stormed the Asian Tarakarama Cineplex theatre late on Wednesday, January 25.
Visuals from the theatre show the activists holding saffron flags and climbing onto the hoarding which advertised Pathaan and tearing it down. They were also heard chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and shouting slogans against the Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer. Police rushed to the spot and detained the protesters. A case was registered against 20 people under relevant sections for trespassing into the theatre premises and for vandalising the posters, DCP East Zone Sunil Dutt confirmed to TNM.
On the same day, over 30 Hindu activists were booked in Karnataka for attempting to stall the screening of the film in Belagavi theatres. The police also deployed a platoon of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) near the theatres. Belagavi South constituency BJP MLA Abhay Patil condemned the release of the movie and urged to stop its screening.
Earlier, controversy erupted when various right-wing groups objected to the ‘Besharam Rang’ music video from the movie. Among others, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) objected to Deepika Padukone's “saffron attire” and certain visuals in the song. The RSS affiliate also objected to the title of the song ‘Besharam Rang’, saying that Hindu society will “never accept such a film.” Protests against the film’s release were seen across the country, with several right-wing groups boycotting it.
Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead, is directed by Siddharth Anand and is the fourth instalment in the spy series, after Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai and War. Since its release on January 25, Pathaan has reportedly earned over Rs 50 crore in box office collections.