Movies held hostage again

It could be about distorting history, hurting religious sentiments or that favourite bugbear Pakistan.

Filmmakers navigate a minefield before a release and the brouhaha over Padmavati is only the most recent example, say Bollywood insiders.

Be it the small- budget Lipstick Under My Burkha that touches on women’s sexuality or a biggie like Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a mainstream entertainer but with a Pakistani in a cameo, trouble comes in all shapes and sizes.

In the most recent instance of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s lavishly mounted period drama Padmavati, historians are divided on whether she even existed but irate Rajput groups have called the film an insult to their honour.

According to trade sources, ` 150 crore is riding on the Deepika Padukone- Ranveer SinghShahid Kapoor starrer on the Rajput queen Padmini, whose story was narrated in Malik Mohammed Jayasi’s epic poem Padmavat in the 16th Century.

The jury is out on whether some factions of the Rajput community, including the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, will succeed in stalling the release of the film, but the seemingly random threats have taken on a momentum of their own.

From Rajasthan, the protests have now spread across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Similarly, some theatre owners in Mumbai have decided to temporarily stop advance booking for Marathi movie Dashkriya, following opposition by a section of the Brahmin community.

The national award winning movie, directed by Sandeep Patil, had been screened at several film festivals.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea seeking stay on the nation- wide release of the movie An insignificant man, which the petitioner claimed was based on the life of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.