GUJARAT BANS PADMAVAT, MADHYA PRADESH SAYS NO CHANGE IN ITS STAND
AHMEDABAD/BHOPAL: Gujarat became the third state on Friday to block controversial Bollywood movie Padmavat as Madhya Pradesh indicated it will stick to its earlier stand of banning the period drama that faces violent protests despite censor board clearance and a change of name.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani told reporters that an order banning the movie, which depicts the life of legendary Rajput queen Padmini or Padmavati, is already in effect. The film is slated for release on January 25, say industry sources.
“The Gujarat government’s earlier order banning screening of the film stays. There is no scope to release in the state unless any changes in the earlier order are made,” Rupani told the media.
His comments came on a day Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hinted that his government’s stance of banning the movie last November was unchanged. “Jo kaha tha wo hoga (What I had said will happen)” was Chouhan’s curt response. Rajasthan has already banned the film.
The movie is facing violent protests by members of a caste group, the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, who blame the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and lead actors of insulting Rajputs and the community’s honour.
The film’s December 1 release was put off and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cleared the movie after ordering a change in the title, from its earlier Padmavati, and five modifications. But the protesters aren’t happy and have warned of a “public curfew” if the film is released.
The film might also face problems in other states such as Himachal Pradesh, where Rajputs form more than a third of the population, though CM Jai Ram Thakur has remained non-committal about this government’s response to the controversy.