A newly released film starring Salman Khan opened to protests here Friday following news reports of his alleged involvement with the underworld.

A group of activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal vented their ire against Bollywood's "bad boy" by disrupting the showing of his film "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya" that was released Friday.

The group held demonstrations at the Income Tax circle in the heart of the city and later marched to City Gold, a nearby multiplex where the first show of the film was underway.

The activists wearing saffron scarves forced theatre authorities to stop screening the film. They also took down hoardings and burned them, shouting slogans against Salman Khan, witnesses said.

The screening of the film was also stopped in other theatres in the city, film distributors said.

There were also reports of protests spreading to other cities of Gujarat, including Surat that witnessed similar incidents.