EXCLUSIVE: Manoj Desai opens up on the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan and the boycott culture; says, “It will definitely work. Hindus and Muslims will also watch the film”

Film exhibitor and owner of one of the most iconic theatres in Mumbai like Gaiety, and Galaxy, among others, Manoj Desai was recently in conversation with Bollywood Hungama. During the chat, the veteran exhibitor, who is known for speaking his mind, opened up about a host of subjects from talking about the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan and its box office prospect, to discussing whether the ‘Boycott’ trend will affect the film and its business. Starting off, Desai chose to address the current scenario surrounding Pathaan and the protests against the film.

The veteran exhibitor opened up about the same and even spoke about the advance bookings of Pathaan. “When the songs of Pathaan and the trailer of the film came out, there was a lot of commotion and chaos. A lot of people were saying a lot of things, and there was a lot of objection to it. Even I was a bit scared. There are seven theatres here. This place is something of a heritage. I was forced to think about things. But then later, I heard on TV that the CBFC has recommended some cuts, and has removed some objectionable material. That was a relief. I have a long-standing relationship with Shah Rukh Khan. He lives here in Bandra, and he has come to our theatre for each of his releases. So let’s see what happens next. There are some more terms and conditions being discussed. They are even talking about increasing the rate, but we do not believe in that. We have one of the lowest ticket rates in the whole of Maharashtra. I will speak to Vinay Choksi, who runs our theatres, and see where this leads.”

Talking about the adverse effect the protests have had on the advance booking of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Desai continues, “There has been no adverse effect of these protests on the advance bookings since they have not started yet. Earlier everyone including multiplexes used to start advance bookings, but for Pathaan there has been nothing yet. So there is no indication of how the film will perform at various locations. As I said talks are on, we will sit together and discuss that.”

Continuing further, Manoj Desai even addressed the burning question, ‘Will Pathaan work at the box office?’ “It will work. It will definitely work. Hindus and Muslims will also watch the film. It does not depend on the trailer as much, instead, it depends on how the film will perform and continue in theatres.” In the same breath, Desai went on to talk about the boycott trend affecting the film’s business, “I have told all of my executives, we have to be very careful. There should be proper security checks done at the main gate. We do not need any damages done to our theatres, so we have to take certain precautions.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: “An equal number of Hindus and Muslims will watch Pathaan, and both are of the same value to me” - Manoj Desai opens up on the Boycott Pathaan trend