Bhansali as much to blame as goons: Yogi on Padmavati row

NEWDELHI: He (Bhansali) is habitual with playing with people’s sentiments. I feel if those who are issuing threats are guilty, action should also be taken against the filmmaker

YOGI ADITYANATH , UP CM

Poltics over controversial Bollywood film Padmavati gathered steam on Tuesday as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath blamed the film’s director for the violent protests that forced postponement of its release and resulted in death threats against the crew.

Speaking at Gorakhpur, Adityanath said director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was as responsible for the row as those issuing bounties for beheading Bhansali and actor Deepika Padukone, who plays the legendary Rajput queen Padmini.

“He (Bhansali) is habitual with playing with people’s sentiments. I feel if those who are issuing threats are guilty, action should also be taken against the filmmaker,” the chief minister said. His government, along with that of Rajasthan, has moved to block the movie’s release unless “objectionable” parts are edited out to assuage the Rajput community. Another neighbour, Madhya Pradesh, has already banned the ₹150 crore film while Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has backed the protesters.

Protests headed by the Rajasthan-based Shri Rajput Karni Sena say the movie insults the Rajputs by filming a romantic sequence between Muslim emperor Alauddin Khilji and Padmini, who is said to have killed herself to avoid being captured by her enemies. Bhansali has repeatedly denied shooting any such sequence and historians are anyway divided over whether Padmini did ever exist.