Shyam Shroff, partner of Cinemax said: ``We decided at 11 am not to screen the film as we learnt that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will take a decision on it next Monday or Tuesday.'' However, according to agencies, the screening was put off following a directive from the I&B Ministry, which informed owners of the threatre that it was revaluating the movie.

The decision took hundreds of moviegoers by surprise as the theatre had placed ads in newspapers and opened bookings. A large number of viewers, including women, who had turned up for the 12.30 pm show were disappointed and many callers who wanted to book tickets over the phone were abruptly told, ``Yehan par Fire nahin dikha rahe hain (Fire is not being shown here).''

Despitepolice bandobast, a group of 40 to 50 Shiv Sainiks landed up at the theatre's gates to demonstrate and held aloft tickets of the cancelled show to signal their ``victory.'' But no unruly scenes took place, Goregaon police said.

Shiv Sena general secretary Subhash Desai said: ``We'll oppose the film's screening unless it's cleared by the censor board. Why should the theatre screen it even before the board clears it? And when it does, we'll see that they implement the changes.''

Shroff said he had put on hold the screening as he thought ``it's better to wait for a few days more as we have already waited so long.'' He said, ``We couldn't go against the directive of the ministry,'' adding, ``We don't want to show one version now and another version after three days.'' The theatre had yesterday received assurance from police commissioner R H Mendonca that full protection would be provided for resuming screening of Fire, which had been disrupted by Sena activists on December 2. The theatre was to screenthe film after a minor cut suggested by Mehta herself, in which usage of the words ``Bloody Indians'' was deleted. Justifying their earlier plans to screen the film, Shroff said, ``We thought the Central Board of Film Certification to which the film was referred back for revaluation would take long to release its report.''

Shyam Shroff further said they would not comply with any suggesstions of a change in Radha's name, as that would prove too expensive. ``To change a name, we'll first have to dub the entire film, then re-mix it and finally make new prints. And with each print costing Rs 75,000, for the 100 prints showing in various theatres across the country it would mean Rs 75 lakh.'' ``It's not possible. It's the kind of film which deserves a tax exemption and more men should watch it,'' the film distributor stressed.

The theatre will screen Jhoot Bole Kouva Kate till December 24, or till Fire is cleared by the ministry.