A police official stands guard outside a multiplex on the day of release of the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil on Friday in Mumbai. (Photo: Shripad Naik )
With the hullabaloo surrounding Ae Dil hai Mushkil reaching a crescendo last week, the film itself had an unassuming first day of release. Most of the popular cinema halls in the city failed to report houseful shows, with many people reporting that fear of violence had kept them away from the multiplexes. However, all cinema halls in the city had beefed up their security complete with policemen and emergency vans.
When The Asian Age visited few of the movie theatres in the city to gauge the scenario there, it was found that Metro in Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal (CST), Eros in Churchgate, Regal Cinema in Colaba and Gaiety-Galaxy in Bandra (west) reported less than 50 per cent occupancy.
Akanksha Srivastava, a Churchgate resident who had booked the first show in Eros, said, “I am here as I liked the songs and trailers of the movie. However, I do agree that Pakistani actors should not be allowed to work in Bollywood.” Aadil Shaikh from Andheri who watched the movie in Gaiety-Galaxy said he was not bothered about the controversies. “We are here to appreciate the work done by all the stars,” he said.
Many viewers were unanimous in their opinion that as the movie was shot before escalation of hostilities between the two countries, creating a ruckus in the post-production stage made no sense.
Director Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was in the eye of the storm after Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena objected to the Pakistani actor (Fawad Khan) in the movie. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis then had to intervene and broker a settlement between the producers and the MNS to ensure smooth release of the film.
