Filmmaker Karan Johar's latest movie ‘Wake Up Sid’ got entangled in protests from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for using ‘Bombay’ instead of ‘Mumbai’ in the movie.

 

Later Friday evening, the Shiv Sena started the protest and urged that Karan Johar should apologize to all the "eight crore Marathis" for the faux pas.

 

Following the incident, Karan had to rush to Shivaji Park residence of MNS chief Raj Thackeray for an unconditional apology. Sena Rajya Sabha Parliamentarian Sanjay Raut disapproved Karan’s move to Raj Thackeray and said, "He should tender an apology to all the people of Maharashtra and not to some individual (Raj Thackeray)."

 

MNS vice-president Vageesh Saraswat stated that Johar is given three days time to insert an apology at the beginning of the movie in all its 700 prints, which had been released worldwide on 2 October.

 

Saraswat said, "Our boys are watching the developments and we are not disrupting any shows anywhere. We are hopeful that the promised apology comes soon.”

 

However, on the other side, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is unhappy over the entire issue and commented, "Johar should have approached the police or the government instead of going to any individual or party for sorting out his grievances."

 

Despite the unfavorable start, the movie is currently running peacefully in 42 cinema halls in Mumbai and another 150 elsewhere in Maharashtra.

 

A box office executive at Thakur cinema in Kandivli, where the movie was released on Friday, 2 October, said that there is normal response from the patrons. He also affirmed that the scheduled shows are running without any problems.