The Rajput Karni Sena, which had assaulted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Friday, now wants him to change the name of his under-production movie Padmavati. Its members also want a screening committee – headed by a retired judge and comprising historians as members – to be formed to appraise the film before it is released, The Indian Express reported.
A section of the Sena, however, want Padmavati banned entirely, according to India Today. The fresh demand from the Rajasthan group comes even as Bhansali and his production house said the matter had been resolved. “We do not want to hurt sentiments and would appreciate if all social organisations and local people support us…,” read a letter sent to Shri Rajput Sabha chief Giriraj Singh.
They also assured protestors that there were no romantic sequences between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji. The characters are portrayed by actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.
Bhansali was attacked and his set in Jaipur was vandalised by Sena members of Friday, who alleged that the movie distorted historical facts and insulted Rajput sentiments. The episode led the filmmaker to cancel the Jaipur shoot of the period drama. Bollywood figures had voiced their support for Bhansali after the incident, and the Film & Television Producers Guild of India Ltd had condemned the assault, calling it “extremely unfortunate, deplorable and totally unacceptable to the Indian film industry”.
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