MP bans Jodhaa Akbar, theatres threaten stir

The decision has shocked the distributors, especially because MP has seen the least trouble from the Rajput community. The Central Cine Circuit Association has given 24 hours to the Government to revoke its decision. The treasurer of the association, Jitendra Jain, was furious. “How can they stop a movie that has been cleared by the Censor Board, and that too, a week after it has been running successfully in theatres? If the Government fails to lift the ban, theatre owners will observe an indefinite strike,” Jain said.

“This is dictatorship,” Indore-based Ankush Mehta, a business associate of UTV Motion Pictures told The Indian Express. “The decision is politically motivated to appease a particular community. How can they call it a law and order issue when they haven’t even made a single arrest so far,” he added.

The film was released in 30 theatres across the state, which shares its north-western boundary with Rajasthan, where the film has not been released so far. Except in Gwalior, the film has had a relatively smooth going in MP. In fact, in the northern district, the screening resumed on Friday only to be banned by the state Government.

Jyoti Cineplex, one of the best theatres in Bhopal, was lucky to complete its morning show on Friday when it was told to stop the screening. “There was only a minor disturbance on Sunday, but since then it has been peaceful,” said its manager Rakesh Narula, while wondering why the state Government had imposed a ban on the film.

The Congress reacted cautiously. “The film should be allowed to be screened after removing the parts Rajputs find objectionable,” Congress spokesman Manak Agrawal said, describing the ban as a “political stunt of the BJP”.