The star-studded premiere of Madhuri Dixit-Naseeruddin Shah starrer Dedh Ishqiya which was scheduled to happen in Lucknow on Friday was cancelled.

Officials of a multiplex in Lucknow, where the premiere was scheduled to happen, said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and members of his family were supposed to attend the premiere at the multiplex, but the event was cancelled. The Chief Minister refused to give any details. Sources believe that the chief minister was annoyed by the adverse publicity of the Bollywood Night at the Saifai Mahotsava where Salman Khan and Madhuri participated and hence decided not to attend the premiere. Reportedly, the team of the film, along with director Abhishek Chaubey and other star cast were informed of the cancellation of the programme just as they were about to board a flight at Mumbai for Lucknow.

The entertainment department officials explained that the Akhilesh Yadav government gave a Rs 1 crore subsidy to the film as 75 percent of the film was shot in the state but the negative publicity following the performance of Madhuri at Saifai forced the state government to cancel the film’s premiere.