Hours after asking, “Who is Shah Rukh Khan?”, in response to questions about a protest in Guwahati against the actor's upcoming movie Pathaan, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday tweeted that he talked to Khan and assured him that the government would ensure such an incident does not reoccur. On Friday, Bajrang Dal activists gathered in front of the Gold Digital Cinema Hall in Guwahati and were filmed vandalising and burning Pathaan posters and shouting “Jai Shri Ram". Bollywood actor Shri @iamsrk called me and we talked today morning at 2 am. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during screening of his film. I assured him that it’s duty of state govt to maintain law & order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents. — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 22, 2023 Vishwa Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the protest by the city unit of the Bajrang Dal was in line with the stand of Hindu right-wing groups. “Our stand is very clear. ‘Bollywood ke bhaijaan’ will have to apologise to Hindu society, and till the necessary corrections are made, we will not let the film be released," he said. Asked about the incident, Sarma on Saturday appeared to shrug off the incident. “If someone files a case in a police station, we will take action immediately. I don't know what this Pathaan-Wathaan is. I haven't heard of it, I haven't seen it. I don't have time for this . Who is Shah Rukh Khan? Why should we worry about it, we have so many Shah Rukh Khans here. ‘Dr. Bezbaruah' (upcoming Assamese film) will be released, we might as well worry about that … Those who have made the film have also not said anything. I take everyone's phone calls. Why should we worry? Shah Rukh Khan would have if there was a problem. If Shah Rukh Khan calls, I'll see what the issue is.” On Sunday, the Assam CM tweeted, “Bollywood actor Shri @iamsrk called me and we talked today morning at 2 am. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during screening of his film. I assured him that it’s duty of state govt to maintain law & order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents.” On Saturday, asked what action the police had taken against the protesters, Guwahati’s Commissioner of Police Diganta Borah said the police had not received any complaint regarding the incident. At the BJP national executive meeting last week in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised party workers to avoid making “unnecessary remarks” about films. “No one should make unnecessary comments that would overshadow the hard work we do,” he said. Senior BJP leaders such as Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra and Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur had issued calls to boycott Pathaan over objections to a costume of actor Deepika Padukone in a song in the film.
