Padmavati makers defer release amid uncertainty

Viacom says the step is voluntary, will wait for clearances

MUMBAI/NEWDELHI: The makers of Padmavati have put off the release of the film after a wave of protests from multiple Rajput groups and dire threats to lead actors Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the studio behind the period drama, said, “We will announce the revised release date of the film in due course.” The film was to hit the screens on December 1.

Padmavati has been mired in controversy over allegations that it “distorts history” regarding Rajput queen Padmini — a charge Bhansali has repeatedly denied.

On Sunday, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya joined the anti-padmavati chorus, saying the film’s screening will be allowed in the state only after some parts are edited out.

“The state government has made it clear that the movie will be allowed to be screened in Uttar Pradesh only if objectionable parts are removed,” told reporters after a rally in Kushinagar.

Three days ago, the state government had written to the Union information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, expressing apprehension that the release of the film on December 1 could lead to “law and order problems”.

Sunday’s announcement by the producers came a day after Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje urged I&B minister Smriti Irani to ensure the movie is not released without necessary changes so that it does not hurt the sentiments of any community. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Prasoon Joshi had slammed the makers of the film on Saturday for allowing the film to be screened for some journalists before obtaining a certificate from the board. The CBFC had sent the film back to the producer as the application for the certification was “incomplete”.

The studio said in a statement it had the highest respect and regard for the law of the land and all institutions and statutory bodies, including the CBFC. “We have faith that we will soon obtain the requisite clearances to release the film,” the statement added. The studio said the film was a cinematic masterpiece capturing “Rajput valour, dignity and tradition in all its glory”.

The film’s star, Padukone, said in an interview on Saturday: “As a woman, as an artiste, as someone who has worked and given two years of my life to this movie, I feel hurt, I feel angry…”

Hours after the studio put off the release, the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which has been spearheading protests against the film, deferred its Bharat Bandh scheduled for December 1. The organisation would “meet them in the field” whenever the film is released, said Karni Sena patron Lokendra Singh Kalvi in Jaipur.

Meanwhile, more fringe outfits jumped into the fray to issue threats and announce rewards on the heads of the lead actors and director of Padmavati.

Haryana BJP’S chief media coordinator Suraj Pal Amu on Sunday passed derogatory remarks against Bhansali, Padukone and Ranveer.

In a statement to ANI, Amu threatened Ranveer, who plays the role of Alauddin Khilji in the movie, for supporting Bhansali. “If you do not take back your words, we will break your legs,” he said. Another fringe group from UP on Sunday targeted Padukone, announcing a reward of ~1 crore for anyone ‘burning her alive’, days after a youth from Meerut had said he would give ~5 crore to anyone who beheaded Padukone and Bhansali.

In Kota, Rajput women wore turbans and wielded swords to demand a ban on the film. They said the women’s wing of the Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena would start a signature campaign across Kota from Monday.