Dilwale paints Mangaluru Gerua

Bengaluru: The city seems to have welcomed New Year with a message to the vigilantes, who disrupted screening of Dilwale, that the administration and the public would not give in to any pressure or threat. This was displayed when Shah Rukh Khan’s movie, which was stalled allegedly by right wing elements since December 20, was screened in three multiplexes in the city on Friday.

Though the number of viewers was less in the morning it picked up for the later shows. “In the first show there were only six people. All of them had booked ticket online yesterday,” an official of a multiplex in Mangaluru told Deccan Chronicle. “However the number increased in the afternoon show to 30 per cent. It is likely to be more in the coming days,” he said.

Balakrishna Shetty of Big Cinemas - Mangaluru said that the turnout was average on the first day and added that he was expecting more during the weekend. “Today was the first day and it was a week day. Thus we had average viewers like any other movie. However we are expecting more number on Saturday and Sunday,” he said adding that film would continue to be screened in the

theatre.

Activist Vidya Dinker who had lead the fight demanding action against those (right wing elements) who had disrupted screening of the movie, went to the movie along with her seven friends on Friday evening. “This is a clear message that if people raise their voice and the state acts strong against these elements (who disrupted the movie) they could be silenced. We are happy that the movie is being screened in the City. New Year seems to have started with a message that Mangaluru is not scared of these elements,” Vidya told Deccan Chronicle. Police security was provided to all the threatres that screened the movie. There were no untoward incidents on Friday.