Now who would have thought a film by Karan Johar would roundly discredit the Shiv Sena’s ageing tiger, alienate the party from most Mumbaikars, and strike a blow for creative freedom — even if by default. Given Johar’s capitulation when the Sena objected to the use of the word ‘Bombay’ in his production, Wake Up Sid, this was sweet revenge.

The famed goodwill that Johar and his lead actor Shah Rukh Khan enjoy was put to the test when Balasaheb held a cinematic gun to their heads, insisting that he wouldn’t allow their film to release if Khan didn’t apologise for his remark regretting the absence of Pakistani players in the IPL. Khan refused to, and Mumbai, indeed all of India, rallied behind him. And MNIK went on to make some Rs 175 crore at last count . Proving once again that nothing unites the country like Hindi cinema and cricket. And that today’s Shiv Sena can’t take on even a Bollywood film, much less its competition