'Film Chalega, Hall Jalega: Protestors In Bhagalpur Tear Pathaan Posters, Sets Them Afire

After much anticipation and an excruciating countdown, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan has finally arrived at the theatres today, January 25. With SRK fans flocking to the cineplexes in frenzied excitement, the ongoing buzz around the Siddharth Anand directorial seems to have just gotten started. However, with Pathaan’s Besharam Rang song landing into controversy, a certain section of people started protesting against the film. One such instance that was captured on camera revealed a mob in Bihar’s Bhagalpur tearing down Pathaan’s poster and setting it on fire on Tuesday.

The shocking video was shared on Twitter on January 24 by ANI. “A poster of the film Pathaan was torn and burnt outside a cinema hall in Bhagalpur,” read the tweet.

The 1-minute 57-second video captured a group of angry mob tearing apart Pathaan’s posters and setting them up in flames. The people can be seen pulling apart the huge posters by tugging at them from all sides. With candles and lighters, the crowd set the posters on fire, chanting slogans of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Film chalega Hall jalega” cries.

As the video progresses, one man is recorded climbing up the cinema hall complex and ripping the film posters with his hands as the others standing below start cheering and hollering. The men continue burning the posters changing slogans over and over again.

According to a report by NDTV, the clip was captured in Bhagalpur’s Deepprabha movie theatre. The members of the Hindu organization claim that they won’t allow any compromise on Hindutva. “The youth said that Hindutva cannot be compromised. Any element that opposes the Sanatan culture will not be tolerated in Bhagalpur and the whole of India,” they said.

The members further threatened that if Pathaan is allowed to be screened in any theatres in Bhagalpur, the city will witness an even fiercer opposition and protest. The manager of the Deepprabha cineplex, Lalan Singh has confirmed that an application has been handed over to the Bhagalpur Superintendent of Police as well as the local police station. The manager further assured that the administration has ensured security.

This is, however, not the first instance of the current Pathaan controversy. On Monday, Satya Ranjan Bora, a rightwing activist lodged a police complaint against SRK about Pathaan in Assam. Earlier, on January 5, members of Bajrang Dal went berserk in Ahmedabad’s Alpha One Mall, displaying a similar scenario like that in Bhagalpur.

Read all the Latest India News here