Mumbai: The city has its fingers crossed, the state government has warned the Shiv Sena and actor Shah Rukh Khan hopes “better sense prevails”: everybody is watching what happens when the movie My Name is Khan releases on Friday.
More than a thousand Shiv Sena workers have been arrested and security beefed up at many of Mumbai's movie theatres after the party warned against the release of the movie.
The cast and crew of My Name is Khan are attending its premiere in Abu Dhabi and later head to Europe for a screening at the Berlin film festival.
"I hope better sense prevails in Mumbai. We have worked really hard on the movie and we just want people to watch the movie," Khan said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi.
"Mumbai is the city that brought me up...the city that gave me my vision...and I know my city will be my strength..." director Karan Johar wrote on his Twitter account before leaving India.
As the stand-off between Shiv Sena and Maharashtra government continues, the party on Thursday claimed the state government prevented a meeting between its chief Bal Thackeray and the actor.
"Khan had expressed willingness to meet Thackeray after his US trip to resolve the issue. However, the ruling Congress-NCP combine foiled the bid, saying the government was capable of tackling the Shiv Sainiks," Shiv Sena said in the party mouthpiece Saamna.
"SRK has now declared in Abu Dhabi that he would be meeting Thackeray to ensure smooth release of his film in Maharashtra," the newspaper said.
Shiv Sena workers tore up the film's posters on Wednesday, continuing their protest against Rukh Khan for backing the participation of Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League.
More than a thousand workers were taken into preventive custody, Joint Commissioner of Police Himanshu Roy told reporters.
"We have also asked theatre owners not to allow people in the first three rows of a theatre, so that there is no access to the screen," Roy said.
Other measures include not allowing bags inside halls, plain-clothes policemen guarding theatres from outside and verifying the identity of audience members.
More than 60 Mumbai theatres are now under police protection, but most of them are not taking any chances.
Websites of major cinema chains like PVR and Cinemax have stopped online booking for the movie. Representatives of most cinema chains did not return calls.
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