New Delhi: Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par that released nationwide on Friday has been banned in a Vadodara multiplex because of protests by a body called the Sardar Patel Group.

The members of the group staged a protest outside the INOX multiplex that was all set to screen the film.

Pulling down posters of Taare Zameen Par and raising slogans against the superstar, the protestors demanded that Aamir apologise for his statements that he had made earlier in support of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

Later, volunteers also reached PVR cinemas in the city and pulled down posters of the movie.

The President of Sardar Patel group Manish Sanghani says, “We sent memorandums to the managers of all the multiplexes in Gujarat today saying Aamir Khan’s new movie should not be screened.”

INOX Operations Manager Pushpendra Singh Rathod says, “Just like Fanaa, Taare Zameen Par will not be screened here. INOX is with Gujarat, and not isolated from it.”

However, the Gujarat Multiplex Association is unmoved by such threats. It says the film will be released all across the state.

“All the distributors have decided that Taare Zameen Par will be released like any other movie,” says Multiplex owner Manubhai Patel.

Apart from the distributors, film buffs are not pleased about the protests either.

“Aamir Khan always makes different movies, so it is better to watch the movie rather than ban it,” says an Aamir Khan fan.

“It is not correct to protest like this. After all he is a film star and he only expressed what his views were,” asserts another fan.

Aamir's pro-Narmada Bachao Andolan statements were the reason for his film Fanaa being banned across the state last year. Both the multiplexes and the distributors had lost a lot of money in the bargain.