VHP, Shiv Sena protest against Osama film shoot in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Oscar-winning Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow may have chosen India over Pakistan to shoot `Zero Dark Thirty` or `ZD 30` to avoid problems arising out of strained US-Pakistan relations but she found herself in a tough situation even here in the city, almost 600km away from the setting of the film Abbottabad.

Protests marred shooting for the second day in Chandigarh`s Manimajra area - which was converted into the set for the film resembling a Pakistan city - as traders raised objections to signboards of their shops being replaced with those in Urdu and members of the local units of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena protested the recreation of a Pakistani town here.

Bigelow has been shooting in Chandigarh since the last few days but protests began only on Thursday.

Shiv Sena and VHP activists raised anti-Osama bin Laden and anti-Pakistan slogans and tried to manhandle the crew members. Shooting began again after the police restrained the protesters. Later, the unit paid Rs 7 lakh to the Manimajra Beopar Mandal, the umbrella body of all the shops in the area.

"They are trying to represent Chandigarh as Pakistan and this is intolerable," said VHP representative Vijay Bhardwaj. "Protesters wanted that Pakistan flags should not be used and they have been assured that they will not be used while shooting," said Rajesh Shukla, station house officer of Manimajra.

Source: timesofindia