My Name Is Khan

Over 1,000 Protesters Held Ahead Of ‘My Name Is Khan’ Movie Release:

NEW DELHI, Feb 10 (Bernama) -- Mumbai police have cracked down on hundreds of right-wing Shiv Sena activists to avert any outbreak of violence ahead of the release soon of Shah Rukh Khan’s new movie.

Police are on high alert in India’s financial capital and home to the Hindi movie heartthrob, whose movie “My Name is Khan” is to hit the silver screens on Friday.

“It is a loss to the industry. Anything personal should not be dragged into the (movie) business.

“Our philosophy has always been no politics and casteism (caste) in the movie industry,” Sushma Shiromani, vice-president of the Mumbai-based Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association told Bernama in a telephone interview.

The vocal and charismatic actor was embroiled in a controversy with the Shiv Sena, a Marathi nationalist front led by Bal Thackeray, over Khan’s remarks to allow Pakistani cricket players play in the Indian Premier League.

Despite street protests stirred by the group over the last few days in Mumbai, the 44-year-old Bollywood superstar did not buckle under pressure nor apologise for his remarks, which further angered the Shiv Sena leaders.

On Wednesday, the right-wing political party activists started targeting his new movie by vandalising many movie cinemas in the city.

Indian television channels showed about 1,000 activists belonging to the movement had been arrested while many cineplexes in the city refused to take any advance bookings for the movie.