Outrage over Padmavati continues
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the information and broadcasting ministry to defer the release of Bollywood film Padmavati citing public anger, even as the film’s scrip continues to spark a major outcry led by an outfit Rajput Karni Sena, which has called for a nationwide bandh on December 1,the day of the film’s release.
In a letter sent to the ministry, Uttar Pradesh’s home secretary Arvind Kumar said the administration will be busy with the municipal elections and Muslim festival Milad-un-Nabi (Barawafat) and providing security for the film would be difficult.
The UP government has citied intelligence reports to claim the film’s release can lead to law and order problems in the state.
The letter comes a day after protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film turned violent in Rajasthan where fringe elements vandalised a cinema hall in Kota.
The film is based on 14th century Rajput queen Padmini of Chittogarh in Rajasthan, where even non-Rajput organisations are protesting against the film. Both Congress and the ruling BJP are protesting against the film, which Rajputs claim hurts their sentiments.
Rajasthan goes to polls in December 2018
The RKS members have submitted memorandum to district collectors demanding a ban on the film. On November 14, members vandalised a cinema hall in Kota when the hall ran a trailer of the film.Six members of the group were arrested.
Even former royal families spoke against the film. Diya Kumari, from the Jaipur royal family and a BJP MLA from Sawai Madhopur, was the first to speak against the film. Even a non-Rajput royal, Vishvendra Singh of Bharatpur, a Jat and a Congress MLA, criticsed the filmmaker for “distorting history”.
Rajput women under Kshatrani Mahasangh in Jaipur and Jauhar Kshatrani Sangh in Chittorgarh have also come demanding screening of the film for community leaders and historians before its commercial release.
Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria said every outfit had a right to protest but sounded a stern warning for people taking law into their hand. A few days ago, he had announced that a committee with preview the film before its release on Dec. 1 but later he backtracked saying this was an issue to be dealt by the arts and culture department.
On Wednesday, Rajasthan commission for women chief Suman Sharma wrote to the CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi to clear the air on the confusion that the film was creating.
LUCKNOW/JAIPUR/CHANDIGARH/BHOPAL:
MADHYA PRADESH
Bhopal, Gwalior, Ratlam and certain other cities in Madhya Pradesh witnessed protests in the past few days against Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed epic period filmPadmavati on the ground that it has some objectionable scenes in it and insults RaniPadmavati and entire Kshatriya community.
Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha Madhya Pradesh chief Prahlad Singh said, “Bhansali has distorted our history in the film and trivialised the great character of Rani Padmavati. We will not allow its release.”