'Dilwale' and 'Bajirao' face trouble on home soil, but welcomed in Pakistan

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Dilwale’ and Ranveer Singh’s 'Bajirao Mastani' faced protests from activists of BJP and right wing activists in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat on the opening day of their release on Friday, with several theatres forced to cancel their screenings. Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, in the Lahore district of Pakistan, these movies were played without much trouble, all for the love of Indian Cinema.

National Award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who was in Lahore, to receive the Rafi Peer International Memorial Movies Award for raising women’s issues in his movies. The actor received the award from veteran actress Zeeba at a function that was held in city. The director later visited college students, who were film enthusiasts and admired Indian cinema.

He later took to his handle to share a picture of SRK’s ‘Dilwale’ and Ranveer Singh’s ‘Bajirao’ posters outside a theatre in the city. He tweeted a short message along with the picture that read: #IndianCinema ka jalwa in #Lahore #Pakistan.

A few political parties and local groups wreaked havoc in certain parts of the country, protesting against the release of the films. While some protested against Shah Rukh and his message on intolerance in the country, others marched forward and burnt effigies of Sanjay Leela Bhansali for ‘distorting historical facts’ in his periodic drama.

Despite the drama that went on outside theatres, fans thronged to cinema hall to catch a screening of the films on its first day of release. Although ‘Diwlae’ trumped at the box-office, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ managed to come in a close second all thanks to its good word of mouth buzz.