APARNA

RIMA KALLINGAL

NEHA DHUPIA

ADITHI GOSWAMY

VEER Salman demonstrates his massy clout again!

Anil Sharma's VEER may not have done a GADAR, but it has definitely proved beyond doubt the box-office clout of its lead actor Salman Khan, and has re-established him as the darling of the masses.

It has also demonstrated that Salman's last hit WANTED was not a flash in the pan and that his hold over single screens is second to none and his fan base is very much intact.

For those who are unaware, VEER has done extremely well at single screens (it was aimed there, just like WANTED) and its first week business is definitely close on heels of Salman's last hit.

While WANTED netted over 34 crores from India, VEER too has an impressive 33 crores to show from its opening week, despite some bad reviews and poor word of mouth. The lag of a crore or so may be attributed to the fact that WANTED had the advantage of releasing during the festive Eid period.

Not only that, VEER has done almost similar business (though ordinary!) in the Overseas too.

Salman Khan VEER gaddari line invites violence from Karni Sena!!

Salman Khan ‘Veer’, the mega- budget flick which is based on the life and bravery of a Pindari warrior played by macho Khan himself, has irked the pride of Karni Sena and it broke the window panes of Triton mall and Vaibhav.

Karni Sena, which represents the Rajputs of Rajasthan, was agitated against a particular scene in the film where Salman Khan says to Jackie Shroff that ‘Gaddari to Rajputo se hi seekhi hain’.

Jackie Shroff plays the character of a Rajput King of Madhavgarh who betrays Pindaris and helps British ruler against them.

But the Karni Sena refuses to take these things as cinematic liberty which does not have any relation to the valor and patriotism of Rajputs in reality. Sanjay Marudhar, the local distributor of the flick, expressed his concern over the behavior of members of Karni Sena and said that if there were any issues that could have been resolved peacefully through talks.

However, the theatre owners have refused to be cowed down by the attacks and are continuing with the screening of Salman Khan starrer flick. Some of them even spoke about going to police if the need arises for protection of their property and people.

Meanwhile, director Anil Sharma has denied the possibility of hurting anyone sentiment through his film ‘Veer’. In fact, he has asked the members of the Karni Sena to watch the film carefully and then go through the history of Rajputs before resorting to violent methods and protesting.

Vijay Galani, the producer of the film, preferred to keep out of the controversy and opined that his local distributor was competent enough to take care of the whole thing in a correct fashion.

Salman Khan starrer ‘Veer’ is a period flick, wherein Zarine Khan made her debut in bollywood. The flick has been mounted on a lavish scale and has some of the grandest sets ever used in bollywood. The film did well in Rajasthan and other parts of northern Indian despite of not so glowing reviews about it in the media.

Salman bonds with Shahrukh in controversy

Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan may be enemies in real life but it seems that they are bonded by controversy created by various sections of society.

Apparently it seem that all is not well with Salman Khan’s ambitious film Veer in the pink city of Jaipur, as a certain Rajput Sena Karni is opposing its screening.

They have claimed that the film has some scenes that convey misconception about Rajasthan and its people and therefore it has hurt their sentiments. Protesters from Rajput Sena Karni have also stopped the screening of film midway in a theater in Jaipur and have damaged the theatre properties to show agitation.

While, Salman is harassed by Rajput Sena Karnis, the other Khan, Shahrukh is in no less trouble as his statement over including Pakistani players in IPL teams has brewed trouble with the moral police of Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena’s news publication ‘Daily Saamana’ claims that Shahrukh has no grief over the lives lost in the 26/11 blasts, which were carried out by terrorist from across the border (Pakistan).

Therefore Shiv Sainiks in retaliation to SRK’s statement set fire to the poster of his upcoming film My Name is Khan and further threatened theatre owners with the dire consequence of setting the theatre ablaze if they screen the film.

Salman’s movie was already in a pit and this controversy has put a lid on it, while SRK’s film is yet to release and it is only a matter of time to see if this controversy becomes a setback for the film or gives publicity.