Devendra Fadnavis to CNN-News18: 'I will act against Raj Thackeray if he violates law'

Hitting out at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who had protested against the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Raees for roping in Pakistani artistes, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in an interview with CNN-News18 , said, “I will even act against Raj Thackeray if he violates the law.” Earlier this month, in a move to boycott Pakistani artistes from working in India, Raj Thackeray-led MNS asserted that they would not let Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (which features Fawad Khan in a cameo) and Raees (which marks the Bollywood debut of Mahira Khan) release in India, or be screened in theatres. The group warned that any filmmaker who defied their diktat would be beaten up. [caption id=“attachment_3077936” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] “When MNS started their protest, we sent them behind bars,” CM Devendra Fadnavis said. CNN-News18[/caption] Following which Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director Karan Johar said that he would stick to his release plan, even as certain distributors and theatre owners were against it, citing their safety. On 18 October, the MNS intensified its plans and issued an indirect threat of vandalism to the multiplexes if they screened the movie. Speaking in support of cross-border artistes, the chief minister said, “I am with creative people and if they legally come to India, we will protect them as per the law. Sentiments are not in the favour of Pakistani artists, but we will go by the Constitution. “When MNS started their protest, we sent them behind bars. If censor board clears a film, no one can stop it from releasing in the theatres,” he said. On the actor Shabana Azmi’s remarks on him for “brokering the deal and buying patriotism for Rs 5 crore’, Fadnavis maintained that he had opposed the offer of Rs 5 crore contribution from the producers to the Army Welfare Fund.

The MNS withdrew their protests, after Fadnavis approached party chief Raj Thackeray for a compromise. Addressing a press conference , Thackeray had initially said that Fadnavis called him to reach a compromise and then corrected himself and said when he was in touch with the CM. Watch the interview here: