Times of India
 
MUMBAI, Sep 10: The workers of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Wednesday resorted to violence at a PVR cinema in Juhu, following which the premiere of Amitabh Bachchan-starrer The Last Lear was cancelled.

The premiere was scheduled for Wednesday evening.

"The premiere had been called off due to security reasons. The decision was taken following the attack on multiplex by a small group of miscreants this morning," Shubho Shekhar Bhattarcharjee, CEO of Planman Motion Pictures, producers of the movie, said.
"We do not want our guests to face any problems. We are going to Delhi tomorrow and the premiere will be held there," he said.

When asked whether he apprehends trouble when the film releases on September 12, he said the producers expect the situation to normalise by then.

Posters, plasma television sets and some property of the box office window of the cinema hall were destroyed.

No arrests have been made in the case yet, police said.

The star cast of The Last Lear includes Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta and others.

It may be noted here that Raj Thackeray had threatened to prevent the release of films starring Bachchans in the state over the “anti-Marathi” remarks by Jaya Bachchan.

MNS had expressed its outrage at Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan’s insistence on speaking in Hindi at a recent function terming it as “anti-Marathi” and had sought public apology from the actress.

Earlier in the day, in an apparent bid to placate Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who warned Jaya not to provoke Maharashtrians, and his estranged nephew Raj, Bachchan said he and his family could never think of showing disrespect to Maharashtra and its people.