Operation 021 booed off the screens in Karachi

Much hyped up Shaan-starrer espionage film receives unexpectedly dull response at the two cinemas

KARACHI: Everything is not going according to plan for the producers of Operation 021, especially at Bambino and Capri cinema in Karachi. The much-hyped espionage film, starring Shaan, received an unpleasant response at the two cinemas, resulting in 021’s early exit from these cinemas.

"The response was awful; people threw bottles at the screen and even harassed the management for wasting their money,” Adeel Siddiqi, the owner of Bambino cinema, told The Express Tribune.

“The crowd was going out of control but I am glad that no damage was done to our property ... we controlled the situation in time,” he added.

As a result, the owners of Bambino have removed all shows of Operation 021 and are playing Hrithik Roshan’s Bang Bang and Na Maloom Afraad instead.

“We have to think of our interests first and our interest is the audience’s interest. If they don’t want to see the movie, then we don’t want to play it," said Siddiqi.

It only gets worse for Operation 021 as the movie faced a similar fate in Capri cinema where the film was taken off after an hour into its first running. Sources told The Express Tribune that the staff at Capri was also harassed by the audience. Many heard saying: Hamaray paisay wapas karo (Refund our money).

Capri has also chosen to switch to Na Maloom Afraad and Bang Bang instead. Operation 021 was released on the first day of Eid with Capri and Bambino among the very few single screens playing the film in Karachi and Sindh.