Saturday, July 30, 2011

Haryana theatres refuses Khap movie screening - Khap Movie



Fearing attacks by the Khap sympathizers, the theater owners across Haryana on Friday preferred not to show the much awaited controversial movie 'Khap-A story of honour killing' which apparently denigrates the social institution, held in reverence by large section of the society in the State.
State residents wishing to catch this week’s Bollywood release 'Khap-A story of honour killing' are in for disappointment. No multiplex in Haryana is screening the film after widespread protests by the All India Jat Mahasabha on the controversial subject.
“The cinema owners in Haryana are terrorized to screen the film because of the overt aggressiveness of Khap leaders. Those who were interested to show the movie in their theaters were also forced by the powerful Khap leaders and local police to cancel the scheduled shows,” said the film’s Haryana distributor Manohar Lal. Lal said that at a few places the screening of the movie was stopped by the police saying that the screening could spark violence in the area. 
Haryana Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order, BS Sandhu denied any kind of interference by the police during the screening of the film.
“In fact, we are ready to provide any kind of security during the screening of the film. Police personnel were deployed to the cinemas to avoid any untoward incident but the cinema owners themselves decided not to screen the movie,” claimed Sandhu.
The official further stated that the Haryana police was fully committed to maintain law and order in the State and nobody would be allowed to take law in his hand.
Khap and Jat leaders have already opposed the movie for destroying images of khap panchayats. Mr. Om Prakash Mann, state president of All India Jat Mahasabha, told Hindustan Times from Bhiwani that they would not allow the movie to be screened anywhere in Haryana.
“Khap panchayats have never favored or supported honor killings. But the movie is a calculative move to make money by maligning the age-old institution,” Mann said.
Khap movie starred by Om Puri, directed by Ajai Sinha, was released across the country on Friday. However, none of the cinema halls or multiplexes screened the movie in Haryana, except Anand cinema hall in Sonipat. It, too, withdrew the movie's screening after a single show following an advisory from the district police. Posters of the film were also removed from the hall, which wore a deserted look.   
Anant Verma, head operations, DT Cinemas, however, said, “We are not screening the film in South Delhi and Gurgaon halls as we do not have a slot. Other English and Hindi films are doing good business.” 

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