Just a day after the release of Sooryavanshi, cinemas in Punjab have started feeling the heat of the farmers’ agitation. Farmers, who are at loggerheads with the BJP government at the Centre since a year, with regard to farm laws, view Akshay Kumar as being a pro-BJP person because of his closeness to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Result: they are threatening cinemas who are screening the new Akshay starrer.
Skyee, a two-cinema property at Budladha in Punjab, did not open the show of Sooryavanshi this morning (6th November) for fear that the agitating farmers might destroy or damage the cinema property. Similarly, Mukta A2 at Ropar has also decided to discontinue the film from today. It will screen Honsla Rakh (Punjabi) instead. Cinemas in other stations are expected to face similar opposition from farmers. It is believed that the agitating farmers might take out a procession today against the Akshay starrer, urging the public not to watch it. Farmers and their organisations are already tweeting about their call for boycott of the Akshay Kumar starrer directed by Rohit Shetty.
With a view to not inviting the wrath of the farmers, many cinemas in smaller centres in the Patiala region are already contemplating discontinuing the film from today. Even as this is being written, the number of such cinemas is increasing. Strange as it may sound, local police stations are telephoning the cinemas and asking them to refrain from screening Sooryavanshi in view of the farmers’ impending protest march against the film which did great business on the first day.
It may be mentioned here that Akshay Kumar’s Bell Bottom, released in August this year, had been similarly affected due to farmers opposing its release.