MUMBAI: While some cinema halls in Mumbai had stopped the advance bookings of My Name Is Khan (MNIK) due to the violent protests by Shiv Sena activists, they have now opened the ticket windows.
While the Mumbai police on arrested Shiv Sena activists protesting against the movie’s release, security has also been provided to movie theatres to avoid disruption of movie’s screening.
SRK fans and film enthusiasts are waiting for the film to release on Friday and some of them have already bought tickets in advance from theaters that have opened their advance booking. Speaking to Businessofcinema.com autorikshaw driver and a die-hard SRK fan Jai Singh optimistically says, "The film will release in Mumbai, I don’t understand why it should not release. I am not scared of going to watch the film, everyone has to die someday, and I’d rather die watching a Shah Rukh Khan film."
While Singh is not deterred by the ongoing protests, some like homemaker Bindu Shaik are a bit skeptical about going to the theaters to watch the film. She says, "I am a bit scared of going to the theaters because of the protests, but if there is proper security at the theaters I would definitely go and watch the film."
It’s not just the audiences but the cinema halls too that are speculating about opening the advance booking of the film. Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur says, "As of now we’ve opened the advance booking in our properties in Mumbai but we might close it depending on the situation. Though there is nothing to fear because our properties in Mumbai have been provided protection. There are about seventy to eighty constables assigned in each property to control the situation but people mostly want to stay away from venues or situations like this. However, the response to the advance booking has been good in our other properties outside Mumbai."
According to a spokesperson from one of the multiplexes who did not wish to be named, said that the bookings of MNIK is in fact higher by 20% than that of 3 Idiots.
Some theaters like the HDIL owned Broadway outside, which some Shiv Sena protestors had gathered to protest against the release of the film, have not opened the advance booking at their properties. Broadway CEO HDIL Entertainment Division Mukesh Gupta said, "We have not started any advance bookings as yet, we will be starting maybe on Friday. As of now we don’t want to get into any kind of controversies and we want people to come and enjoy the movie in a better atmosphere and with a relaxed mind."
