Protest against Akshay’s Sooryavanshi continues in Jalandhar, PVR’s loss crosses Rs 10 lakh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 8

Amid ongoing protest by farmers against Akshay Kumar starrer, Sooryavanshi, the PVRs in the district suffer a loss of over Rs10 lakh. PVR MBD today also had to issue refund of about 150 tickets.

Members of various farm outfits and NGOs supporting farmers’ movement today reached the MBD Mall to stop screening of Sooryavanshi at the PVR movie theatres. The agitators said they would not allow the actor’s movies to be screened here as he had in the past made statements against farmers’ protest and supported the centre on farm laws. However, the PVR manager on the condition of anonymity stated that, in the PVR’s in the city, they suffered a loss of over Rs10 lakh.

“There are around four PVRs in Jalandhar and for the past three days, they have been issuing refund of already booked tickets. While refund of nearly 450 tickets was issued on Saturday, around 500 tickets were refunded on Sunday. Refund of about 150 tickets was also issued at PVR MBD Mall today,” the manager added.

Azaad Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Punjab) and Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee while staging a sit-in outside the mall said, Akshay was among the many Bollywood actors, who had not only supported BJP on farm laws but also tweeted against farmers’ sympathiser, American pop star Rihanna, who had posted a tweet in favour of farmers movement against controversial farm laws.

After staging the protest, Kanwar Sartaj Singh (Spokesperson, Azaad Kisan Sangharsh Committee) also appealed to people of the state to boycott every movie of Bollywood stars who were against farmers’ protest. “Akshay Kumar supported the three black farm laws introduced by the BJP government. Farmers are protesting peacefully at Delhi Borders for almost a year and more than 650 farmers have been martyred during the protest. Akshay kumar has done shooting in Punjab’s villages in his previous movies, but he still never supported farmers,” added Sartaj.

A city-based organisation called ‘Fikr-e-Hond’, which has been working for social welfare for a long time and has been supporting the farmers’ struggle from day also reached Curo mall on Sunday to halt screening of Suryavanshi. The movie directed by Rohit Shetty hit the cinema screens on November 5.