'My Name Is Khan': India Police Detain 1,100 Over Film Protest

MUMBAI, India — Hindu nationalist mobs rampaged through India's cultural center Wednesday, tearing up movie posters and stoning a theater in protest of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's comments in support of Pakistani cricketers.

Police in Mumbai said they had detained more than 1,100 Hindu nationalists to prevent the disruption of screenings of Khan's new movie, "My Name is Khan."

Senior police official Himanshu Roy said 21,000 police would guard the more than 60 theaters in Mumbai that plan to screen the film and would frisk movie-goers.

"More security would be provided if needed," he said.

The Shiv Sena, a Mumbai-centered political party known for regional chauvinism and Hindu fundamentalism, has branded Khan a traitor for expressing regret that no cricketers from Pakistan – India's archrival – were chosen to participate in next month's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

Khan, who is Muslim, has refused to apologize for the comments.

Shiv Sena activists rampaged through parts of Mumbai for a second day Wednesday, ripping down posters for Khan's highly promoted new movie. They attacked at least one cinema planning to screen the film, to be released Friday, and burned effigies of the actor.

Roy said 1,100 people were detained Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fearing more violence, several theaters have stopped advance ticket sales.

The Shiv Sena – which means Shiva's Army – has lost some influence in recent years but remains a force in Mumbai, where it combines hard-line Hindu politics with sporadic violence.

Comments

[Vrooom]

03:24 PM on 03/01/2010

One of the reasons why I always believed India is a modern nation is that inspite of the widespread poverty and corruption, it is still a functioning democracy. Someone on the streets can still aspire to improve his lot in life(though the path may not be easy). But this increasingly mob culture is taking us backwards.

Free speech and the ability to dissent is the backbone of democracy. Why is there such a huge fuss about Shahrukh saying this and not Chidambaram. Because the Shiv Sena knows it will not get as much mileage out of attacking Chidambaram and not Shahrukh.

The Shiv Sena or anybody else is very welcome to not want Pakistani cricketers in India. I personally do feel that we need to normalize ties before we have sporting events. But hooliganism is ruining our country and its image around the world and it horrifies me that the educated class would provide implicit approval to this

[suese]

10:23 PM on 02/12/2010

Daily show did great segment on this guy. Hilarious. Looks like he's still trying to make trouble wherever he goes.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-19-2009/shah-rukh-khan-detained-at-newark

[suese]

05:23 PM on 02/12/2010

Why do Pakistanis come to India, which so many do, make their fortunes and then are disloyal to their new country. What would US say to Soviets who migrate here and then stay loyal to Soviet Union.
No Indians go to Pakistan to make their fortunes as they never could.
India welcomes them and this is how they repay.

[Ayyalu Samy]

10:12 AM on 02/12/2010

usless..

[suese]

01:42 AM on 02/12/2010

Indians should stop going to this guy's film, he's traitor to his country. He oughta move to pakistan.

[Freenation]

11:34 AM on 02/12/2010

where should these g.oons-for-rent be sent to...andaman islands?

[suese]

01:40 AM on 02/12/2010

Not religion, national pride, loyalty to your own country.

[Vrooom]

03:28 PM on 03/01/2010

Why does this have to be about national pride? There are numerous people who have said Pakistanis ought to have been invited. It is a personal opinion. Again I am not saying we should have had Pak cricketers playing in IPL. But the tirade against SRK is only because he is a Muslim.

[suese]

01:38 AM on 02/12/2010

If this Khan hates India so much where he made his fortune, why doesn't he go to Pakistan. Loyalty. Nerve after attacks in Mumbai. Maybe US should put some saudis, pakistanis, afghans, iraquis, soviets on the US team. That'd have gone over well a year after 9/11.

[suese]

01:25 AM on 02/12/2010

So this is like if the US olympic team didn't pick anyone from Soviet Union to be on the US team.
and this is unfair ?
It is the Indian Premier Team - so why would they pick pakistanis for Indian team because Indians have to be pc after Pakistan Terrorists attacked the city.
Yah, that makes sense.
Why are there so many who continue defending such nonsense from terrorists trying to stir up trouble.
That's great tribute.

[samm120]

10:32 PM on 02/11/2010

how iileterate these hindu ultra nationalists are.........nobody talks in MSM about hindu fundamentalism n extremism

[DawnK]

09:39 PM on 02/11/2010

Ahhhhh....organized religion. I just love it.

[wendynyc]

07:21 PM on 02/11/2010

Well the way I see it the Shiv Sena - a staunch Hindu political organization from Mumbai - has always had a high profile target to bring to light the disparity that exists between the very wealthy and the extreme poor.

Mr Shah Rukh Khan, has had every opportunity to become very successful and very rich in Mumbai - however not much can be said about what he has done to give back to the people of Mumbai!

This is the focus that Shiv Sena is lamenting! He is giving opportunity to someone from another country while many in his own are not faring very well!

[mr101]

07:48 PM on 02/11/2010

Apparently, Shahrukh himself own an IPL team (Kolkata Knight Riders):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata_Knight_Riders
and his team didn't pick any Pakistani players either.

He says they were going to pick one, but that the offer fell through because the player in question had some medical issues. The question then is, why could he not have picked other Pakistani players?

Then he turns around and accuses the entire IPL (and indirectly India) with a tone that's implicating, which comes across as naked/raw appeasement to Pakistan (he has some patronage in Pakistan, but his fan base is predominantly Indian) when he himself didn't pick any Pak player. That's the hypocritical double-edged game, of having the cake and eating it too, that he tried to play. He probably thought he could get away with it (as Indians are generally lenient and forgiving), but his hypocrisy stands out. And Shiv Sena called him out on it.

[Freenation]

10:51 PM on 02/11/2010

shiv sena you want us to believe it is standing up for the country or should i say mumb.ai, here are some links which shows the history of this pa.rty...i would trust a man from the street in front of these g.oons who are nothing but opp.ortunists who fo.ol people by playing with their emo.tions and are themselves fil.thy ri.ch...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiv_Sena
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balasaheb_Thackeray

"thackeray has attracted controversy for his praise of h.itler: i feel that he and i have several things in common..."

what k.han said was also conveyed by amit.abh b.acchan (meg.a star) bigger than shahrukh yet the hypo.crisy is he was not targeted because he has good terms with these g.oons (everyone has to because they are m.afia like and you have to be co.dial)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IPL-snub-to-Pak-players-not-right-Amitabh-Bachchan/articleshow/5510312.cms

[jetscan]

07:11 PM on 02/11/2010

Mr101, a polite suggestion if I may.

I HUGE thank you for stating facts and trying to educate the ignorant and biased. But in the end, it all comes down to this:

'Don't argue with an idiot. Others won't be able to tell the difference'.
'The ignorant will laugh, but the wise will understand'.

[TAIsabel]

03:12 PM on 02/11/2010

Religion....wreaking havoc for thousnads of years!

Cricket, seriously?

[mr101]

03:26 PM on 02/11/2010

May I suggest you to check out what Carl Sagan had to say about the Hindu philosophical thought (which got the cosmic scale of the beginning of the universe right!)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVQ4l5IOHKc

[jetscan]

06:15 PM on 02/11/2010

Fanned.
------------------
You know your stuff :-))

I didn't watch the youtube clip, because I saw the Carl Sagan series on tv when animation wasn't as beautiful as today. But, it's the idea/theory that counts.

[jetscan]

06:28 PM on 02/11/2010

When India wins a match, the Muslims living in India don't cheer. When Pakistan wins a match they throw a party. This is just one thing that sets off the Indian people.

But that's not all. I've said it before. If you really want to know more about the relations between Hindus and Muslims and India and Pakistan, you should read 'Rewriting Indian History' by Francois Gaurtier. Here is link to a short review:

http://www.indiastar.com/wallia10.htm

[suese]

01:30 AM on 02/12/2010

It's same here in states where hispanics wave the mexican flag against america where they live.

[suese]

02:16 AM on 02/12/2010

Thanks for the link. Very informative. never knew.

[Trance2010]

02:57 PM on 02/11/2010

Gee, some people really don't know how to chill....

[LegalCodex]

02:49 PM on 02/11/2010

Who would guess that a discussion on India would bring out nationalists and racists of all kinds? I thought that type of stuff was reserved for conversations on Israel.

[mr101]

02:52 PM on 02/11/2010

Not sure you were referring to me, but if you were, then I dare you to debate the substance of the evidence and arguments I have presented, instead of leveling obtuse and ad-hominem criticism.

[LegalCodex]

03:05 PM on 02/11/2010

I am not referring to anyone specifically. This thread however is filled with Indian-supremacist comments, Indiaphobic comments, and anti-Hindu racist comments.

No reason to be defensive(well, maybe against some of the folks in here).