A Brahmin outfit on Tuesday opposed the release of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati, alleging that the filmmaker was trying to distort historical facts.
“I have categorically told him that the film must be shown to a 15-member panel of experts from the state [Rajasthan],” Suresh Mishra, a member of the Sarv Brahmin Mahasabha, told DNA. “The panel should include experts in history. If they give a green signal that the film does not distort historical facts and has no imaginary love scenes between Allaudin Khilji and Rani Padmavati, only then will we take back our opposition.”
Meanwhile, Rajput groups intensified their protest against Padmavati, threatening to damage theatres if the move was allowed to be screened, The Hindu reported. The Rajput Karni Sena and other groups also demanded that Padmavati be shown to historians before its release on December 1.
“If the movie has objectionable scenes, we will not allow its screening in theatres,” Karni Sena member Lokendra Singh Kalvi told The Hindu.
Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raja Singh – a Rajput from the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad – also said he will not allow Padmavati to be released in the state. “If Padmavati has distorted history, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will have to pay the price for it,” he told ANI.
Based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic poem Padmavat, the move film is set to release on December 1. Padmavati, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been in the midst of a controversy since January, when members of the Rajput Karni Sena assaulted Bhansali on the set of the movie in Jaipur, after which the shoot was shifted to Maharashtra. The Karni Sena is opposed to a supposed love scene between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji in the movie, which Bhansali had said was not in the film.
In March, miscreants had set the film’s set in Kolhapur on fire. Members of the Rajput fringe group had also vandalised a rangoli inspired by the film in October. Five people were arrested under charges of unlawful assembly, trespassing and mischief causing damage.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!