Click to play videoMumbai: After the recent Thackeray - Bachchan controversy the film distributors are wondering the fate of the forthcoming Bachchan releases.
Though the newspapers on Tuesday had Jaya Bachchan’s apology to all Maharashtrians, but the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)'s demand for a public apology is still left.
This is just another chapter of the now old Bachchan - Thackeray war chronicles.
Here's a recap on the bouts so far:
Round 1- MNS leader Raj Thackeray takes a dig at the Big B for not doing enough for Maharashtra. This happened just after the Bachchans laid the foundation for a girls’ school in Uttar Pradesh.
Though Amitabh Bachchan preferred to keep silent on this, Jaya Bachchan couldn't help making a counterpoint.
“"We share a relationship with Bal Thackeray, he has been like a father to us. Uddhav is his son so this way we also share a healthy relationship with him too. Apart from them, I don't know any Thackeray,” said Jaya.
Round 2- Amitabh and Abhishek starrer Sarkar Raj made a point that the father son duo in the film claimed to work for the betterment of the state of Maharashtra. Pushing aside personal gains and allegations of corruption, the Bachchans claimed to have been working tirelessly for the common good.
“You tell me have I not worked for Maharashtra,” Amitabh asked the media then.
Round 3- The next issue arose through a covert cellular service provider's advertisement, which had Abhishek clearly stating that he belonged to Mumbai.
The advertisement read that as he has a Mumbai mobile number, he belongs to Mumbai.
And, now came the Round 4 where Jaya Bachchan made the first move at the music launch of Drona
“We are from Uttar Pradesh and we will speak in Hindi—Maharashtrians will forgive us,” Jaya, also a Rajya Sabha MP, said at at the music launch the film.
And again the MNS retaliated - first with a rail ticket, which promised to send Jaya Bachchan back to UP and then a ban on all Bachchan films and brand endorsements in the state.
“All Bachchan family movies and advertisements in Mumbai and Maharashtra are banned from today (Monday),” said Thackeray at a press conference.
“This is an affront to the Marathi Manoos (Marathi-speaking people). All parties should unite and condemn what she said,” added Thackeray.
While Amitabh Bachchan's The Last Lear is slated to release across the country this Friday, Abhishek Bachchan's Drona hits screens on the October 2 and Dostana will be released on the November 14.
Maharashtra contributes to about 30 per cent of a film’s box office collection and the joint business of all these three films is estimated to be of around 25 crores from the state.
"Everybody has received a letter and we have seek advice from our Theatre Owners' Association and whatever they will tell us we will go according to that,” says Cinemax Manager Rakesh Sharma.
“A Bachchan film is very important for us. We wouldn’t know what to do if we can’t release a Bachchan film,” adds Sharma.
Going by the recent developments neither Thackeray nor Jaya may put an end to this controversy soon but real victims of this rift will eventually be the distributors and exhibitors who buy and screen films and ofcourse the film buffs who might not get to watch a Bachchan film in Maharashtra any time soon.
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