Sena workers protest lack of Thackeray posters at theatre

Mumbai: Shiv Sena workers created a ruckus on the premises of a movie theatre in Mumbai as it did not display the Thackeray film poster.

Sena workers on Thursday staged a protest outside a theatre in Vashi against the theatre management for not putting up posters of the film Thackeray inside the theatre.

In a video of these Sena volunteers (Shiv Sainiks) creating a ruckus on the theatre premises, the protesters can be seen staging a sit-in protest and shouting slogans.

During the protest, the workers also got into an argument with the theatre staff. Based on the life of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, the film hit big screens on Friday, commemorating Thackeray’s birth anniversary.

Shortly after the film’s trailer came out in December, its release dates attracted a lot of controversy, said film critics.

The film’s producer and Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “Our Shiv Sainiks were demanding that the posters be displayed outside the movie hall so that people understand the film is based on Balasaheb. They came in huge numbers which might have created an uproar but they did not harm anyone. They only wanted to say that like all other movies, display the boards in the same manner.”

Many claimed that the film was deliberately being released ahead of the elections as part of a political agenda. However, in an interaction, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays the role of Bal Thackeray in the film and Amrita Rao, who features as his wife Meenatai Thackeray, refuted all such claims and asserted that the only reason behind releasing the film in January was that January 23 is Bal Thackeray’s birth date.