"The film was not screened today. It is unconstitutional self-proclaimed ban by some fringe group. It is a kind of threat. Even the city Mayor is supporting the fringe group," the film's director Hansal Mehta told PTI.
"It is an extra-constitutional ban on screening of the film," the film's writer Apurva Asrani said.
A fringe group called the Millat Bedari Muhim Committee (MBMC) has arm-twisted exhibitors in Aligarh into cancelling screening of the biopic, it has been alleged.
Supporting the ban, Aligarh Mayor Shakuntala Bharti said, "We had issued a warning that we will not allow this film to be shown in the city at any cost. Ten days ago, we lodged our protest against the screening of the movie."
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"Aligarh tameez aur tehzeeb ka shahar hai. Vishwa vikhyat kavi Neeraj ka shahar hai hamara Aligarh (Aligarh is a city of culture and refinement. It is the city of world famous poet Neeraj). Aligarh Muslim University is world renowned. Are they trying to malign the city by naming the film after it? The city is being tarnished by showing that such people also live here," said Bharti, who is from the BJP.
Bharti said, "I would not have objected if the movie had been given some other name but we cannot accept such bad publicity for our city".
The Mayor said she would meet the district authorities tomorrow to seek an official ban on the movie.
District authorities said no ban has been imposed on the film, which released on Friday, but the threat against the screening and finding only few moviegoers on day one, appears to have forced the theatre owner in a multiplex here to call off screening.
been shown since Saturday and the owners have also stopped online booking without assigning any reason, an official said.
Hansal said opposition to the film is "homophobic". "It has stirred up a debate within Aligarh society... It has nothing to do with homosexuality."
"We will wait and watch. I have been just contacted by the ministry of entertainment in Uttar Pradesh," he said on being asked what was his next course of action in the light of the film not being screened in the city.
Two AMU professors, including film critic Asim Siddiqui, who saw the film on February 26, claimed the cinema owners might have themselves stopped the screening due to poor public response.
The Millat Bedari Muhim Committee (MBMC), which has a number of former AMU students, had written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley seeking a ban on the film.
MBMC Secretary Jasim Mohammad said his organisation was opposed to the biopic because "it has distorted facts".
When contacted AMU Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Zamiruddin Shah said, "I am against the very idea of banning a movie just because a small section finds something objectionable. This only gives it unnecessary publicity."
Manoj re-tweeted a fan's post, which said the "ban" on the film is "ridiculous". "They will miss watching a great movie! @BajpayeeManoj," the tweet further read.
Actor Ayushmann Khurrana tweeted, "Authorities feel its gay content is defaming Aligarh. Hmm. Why don't they keep a new name like homophobic-garh.