A bit of 'Chori Chori', a bit of 'Chupke Chupke'

By Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI, MARCH 9. It was Friday with a difference at 14 theatres across the Capital where release of the much talked about controversial film ``Chori Chori Chupke Chupke'' saw a heavy police bandobast and an unusually lukewarm response from cinemagoers.

Though the release was peaceful, barring a minor protest by Shiv Sena's youth wing, Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, outside Odeon cinema in Connaught Place, the talk of the town was not the film's storyline or its financing allegedly by underworld money but possible threats by ``nationalist forces'' to disrupt the show.

Though the Sangh Parivar had withdrawn its proposed protest against the screening of the film following a Delhi High Court order to the city administration on Thursday to provide security cover to the theatres screening the film, the Delhi police took no chances and made unprecedented security arrangements at all 14 theatres. So much so that at the opening show at Odeon, the police and film critics from various newspapers outnumbered the ordinary viewers. There was no rush at the ticket counters as cinema hall managers struggled to ensure that at least the first show went ``house full''. Later they did claim that it was a full house.

In the morning, as the cinema managers and senior police officers were awaiting arrival of the film distributor outside Odeon, nearly a dozen Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena activists appeared on the scene carrying placards and shouting slogans. However, within a few minutes the entire protest was over with the police taking away the protestors in a van. Those arrested included Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena's Delhi unit leader, Ajay Srivastava, and its acting president, Mangat Ram Pandey.

But this brief protest caught the police somewhat off-guard and senior officers were seen coordinating with the force deployed at other theatres in the city to avert any further trouble. Soon the distributor arrived with the print and the screening began.

Later, the film distributor, Mr. Manpreet Chaddha, claimed that ``the response to the film was good''. He said a total of 48 prints of the film had been distributed across the Northern territory.

Expressing satisfaction over the security provided during the screening, Mr. Chaddha said the shows elsewhere also were running normally. Talking about the controversy, he wondered why such a hue and cry was being raised when all the collections were going to the Maharashtra Government till the case was decided by court.

For his part, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), Mr. R. S. Krishnia, said security would continue at theatres across the city. ``We will review the situation on a daily basis and then decide accordingly.''

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