KOLKATA/BHOPAL: Activists of Bajrang Dal staged a demonstration outside a cinema hall in West Bengal's Purulia district and Hindu groups held demonstrations against the movie in many cities of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, protesting against the screening of Karan Johar-directed Hindi film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" that also features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.
However, theatres continued to show the movie which released on the occasion of 'Dhanteras'.
The members of Bajrang Dal's Purulia district wing gathered in large numbers outside a Purulia-based multiplex right in the morning to protest against the screening of the film.
The protestors carried banners and flags of the Bajrang Dal as well as the national flag and shouted slogans condemning the casting of Fawad in an Indian film at a time of high tension between the neighbouring nations.
"The cinema management responded positively to our protest and decided to stop the first show of the movie," Banjrag Dal-Kolkata said in a social media website, claiming their demonstration "a huge success".
"About a hundred Bajrang Dal supporters gathered in front of the multiplex at around 9 a.m. today and held a protest for an hour. However, police were alert to avert any untoward incident," a senior officer of Purulia Police Control Room said.
The Shiv Sena workers held a demonstration outside a cineplex at Tatya Tope Nagar in Bopal. But their attempt to storm the theatre was foiled by police.
A Hindu group stopped the screening of the film in a multiplex for some time at Samdareeya Mall in Jabalpur and held similar demonstrations in Gwalior also.
Police said the issue was resolved without much hassle and the film could be screened thereafter.
"No one was detained during the incident," police said.
Hindu right-wing groups led by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had given a call for banning Pakistani artistes working in Bollywood following a terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri sector of Jammu and Kahsmir in September.
Since the Karan Johar directorial features Fawad Khan, calls were made to ban "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" also. However, the movie was okayed for release by MNS after Karan Johar made an appeal to the people to not stall the release of the film and also agreed to donate Rs 5 crore to an army welfare fund.