Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi on Wednesday assured protection to multiplexes on the release of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Pathaan’ later this month.Cinema halls in Gujarat had received letters from Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal warning them to not screen Pathaan at their properties. Some of the cinema halls were also damaged amid the protests done by the outfits.The Yash Raj Films production also features Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in lead.
Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput in the past had said, "Pathaan's screening will not be permitted in Gujarat. The protest against the film's release in Ahmedabad today should serve as a wake-up call to all theatre owners in the state. They must refrain from releasing the film in their theatres or multiplexes." In reaction to such comments, the Cinema Associations of the state had reached out to the Government for their support. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister and Home Minister, the cinema owners seeked for official intervention. The experts from the letter read, “There are many groups that are illegally targeting cinema exhibitors based on their own understanding and agendas by unlawfully threatening cinema exhibitors with dire consequences in terms of safety and security of their property, staff and movie-goers if certain movies are released. So, we request all kinds of support from your end regarding protecting (of) our properties and business interest.”Pathaan is touted to be one of India’s biggest action spectacles to date and is a part of Aditya Chopra's ambitious spy universe, which kicked off with Ek Tha Tiger in 2012 followed by Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and War (2019)