Mumbai:
A film based on a real life incident about the Maharashtrian-North Indian divide has invited the ire of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Taking offense to the promos of '332 Mumbai to India', MNS activists have demanded that the film should be cleared by the party leader Raj Thackeray before it hits cinema halls.
The movie is based on the hijack of a BEST bus number 332 by Rahul Raj, a Bihari who was protesting against the assault on North Indian job seekers by the MNS. Rahul was shot dead by the police during the incident.'' Vagish Saraswat, the vice president of the MNS, asked us to meet him at the party's office. We went and explained what the film was all about. Now they want to see the film and have threatened to make trouble if we go ahead with the release before getting their approval, '' director Mahesh Pande told DNA.
Saraswat confirmed that the MNS had objections to the promos that showed the protagonist asking 'Mumbai kiske baap ki' (to whose father does Mumbai belong). ''We are demanding to see the film because we don't want any derogatory references to the city, the state or its people. Also, we want to ensure that the content is not insulting to Raj Thackeray in any way,'' he added.
Meanwhile Pande has maintained that he and producer Sangeeth Sivan have no intention of screening the film for the MNS. ''We have the Censor Board's approval which gave the movie a U/A certificate. And we don't see why we need to appease the MNS,'' he added. The film is scheduled for release on Dec 17.
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