Protests limit screening of ‘Toofan’

• Samaikyandhra activists, members of caste-oriented bodies held in Nellore, Karimnagar
• TRSV representatives raise slogans in Vikarabad
• SJAC blocks film in Chiru’s native West Godavari district
• Theatres attacked in Kurnool, Nalgonda

Hyderabad: Students, TRSV activists, Samaikyandhra supporters and members of caste-oriented organisations in several parts of the State on Friday attempted to block the release of Toofan, in which Union Minister K Chiranjeevi’s son Ram Charan plays the lead role.

The police arrested some Samaikyandhra students in Nellore when they were preparing to demonstrate at theatres. The police detained them, after heated arguments. Several TRSV activists raised slogans before Cinemax in Vikarabad. They stopped the movie. The SJAC members in Narsapur and Palakole, Union Minister’s native district of West Godavari, blocked the 6 am show.

The demonstrators removed ‘Toofan’ posters at a theatre in Satyavedu, Chittoor district. Although the distributors had planned the release of the film in 20 theatres, due to protests by Samaikyandha supporters, the screening was limited to Srikalahasti, Nagari, Piler and Satyavedu. No morning show was screened in the district. In Karimnagar, some members of caste-oriented organisations were arrested after they tried to stall the release of ‘Toofan’ at Pratima Multiplex. Samaikyandhra supporters also made similar attempts at Annapurna and Nataraj theatres in Huzurabad.

Agitators tried to stop the film’s release in Yemmiganur, Kodumur, Pathikonda, Adoni and Kurnool. They attacked Anand, Sriram and Venkatesh theatres in Kurnool, raising anti-Chiranjeevi slogans, while damaging property in a theatre complex. Lawyers and Telangana protagonists attacked ‘Shakuntala’ theatre in Miryalaguda (Nalgonda district), shattering glasspanes, after the management declined to stop the screening. The first show was stopped in Chityal.

Toofan screened in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: Ram Charan’s latest movie Toofan was screened in the city without any hiccups. Though a few Samaikyandhra activists staged a protest in front of the theatres where the movie was released, police intervened to thwart any move to disrupt the screening of the film.

Chiru fans pelt stones at theatre

Anantapuramu: Tension prevailed in Anantapuramu when the fans of Tollywood hero turned politician K Chiranjeevi pelted stones at Gowri theatre here on Friday demanding the theatre management not to stop the screening of Toofan starring Ram Charan Tej and Prinyanka Chopra. A scribe sustained injuries in stone pelting when he went to cover the news, and on receiving information, the police rushed to the spot and dispersed the angry mob.