Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said his government will decide on whether Padmavati will be allowed in theatres only after it gets the censor board’s clearance.
“We will not allow anyone’s sentiments to be hurt,” he said, according to ANI. “But we don’t think it is right to ban a film before the censor board’s decision.”
Padmavati, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been in the midst of a controversy since January, with Rajput groups and others accusing director Sanjay Leela Bhansali of distorting history. On Monday, the Central Board of Film Certification turned down an application from the makers of Padmavati to speed up the certification process.
Khattar’s comments are the latest by chief ministers of different states on the controversy. The chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have demanded that Padmavati be banned or not released until changes are made, but the West Bengal and Karnataka chief ministers have spoken out in support of the movie.
The Haryana chief minister also said that his government has issued a notice to state Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suraj Pal Amu, who announced a Rs 10-crore reward for anyone who beheads Padukone and Bhansali. “This might be his personal opinion,” Khattar said. “The government has nothing to do with it.”
Earlier, Mahipal Singh Makrana, the state president of the Rajput Karni Sena that has been leading the protests against the film, openly threatened to cut off Padukone’s nose for her role. After such repeated threats to the cast and crew, Viacom18 Motion Pictures – the co-producers of the film– have decided to “voluntarily defer” its release. The movie was scheduled to release on December 1.
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