Kolkata: Despite rainfall, fans flocked to theaters in Kolkata on Thursday to watch Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Jawan’ at a 5 am show, a first in the city’s cinema history. On the other hand, Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur enjoyed a packed 2:15 am screening.
Bengali TV’s power couple, Neel Bhattacharya and Trina Saha, too, watched the 5 am show in Kolkata.
“When it’s SRK, we don’t mind sacrificing our sleep,” said the ‘Bangla Medium’ actor.
Surjendra Bagchi, a die-hard SRK fan, stayed up all night to attend the 5 am show. “I never imagined we’d be cheering in such large numbers at a 5 am show. Despite the rain, the theater was completely packed,” he said.
From bathing SRK’s cutouts in milk to worshipping his posters and dancing inside theatres, Kolkata displayed a level of fandom that’s often associated with South Indian superstars. Massive crowds thronged all the major single-screen theaters in Kolkata, including Menoka, Navina, Ajanta, and Ashoka.
The excitement reached its peak at Menoka, where a group of fans even paraded in chariots, cheering for SRK.
Filmmakers like Srijit Mukherji and Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay were also part of the early morning show audience.
Meanwhile, SRK’s film made history in Bengal with a staggering show count exceeding 1,100. “The film is poised to set a new benchmark, likely surpassing the first-day records of all recent releases. The anticipation and demand from the audience have created a favourable environment for a remarkable box office performance,” said a spokesperson of SVF, the distributor of the film in Bengal.
Mahuya Dutta, a SRK fan since her school days, kept up her tradition of watching his film on the very first day.
Overwhelmed with excitement, she said, “I couldn’t resist dancing during the movie.”