‘ Padmavati may cause social unrest’

◗ The Mewar royal alleged that CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi had not considered all factors and ‘ this public deception’ suggested incompetence and complicity

Jaipur: A senior member of the erstwhile Mewar royal family, Mahendra Singh, has questioned the Central Board of Film Certification for endorsing Padmavati, claiming the film may cause “social unrest”.

Jaipur, Jan. 1: A senior member of the erstwhile Mewar royal family, Mahendra Singh, has questioned the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC) for endorsing Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati, claiming the film “misrepresents” revered heroic characters and may cause “social unrest”.

In a letter to information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani and minister of state Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Mewar royal alleged that CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi had not considered all factors and “this public deception” suggested incompetence and complicity.

“The movie is likely to cause social unrest and such hurried certification and continuing misrepresentation can only bring disrepute to the CBFC,” Mahendra Singh wrote.

Accusing CBFC chief Joshi of misrepresenting facts, Mahendra Singh alleged that two panels seemed to have been invited for a special screening but the film was “clandestinely” shown to only one.

“The impression being given is that the panelists who saw the movie were in agreement over its release with the reported modifications. However, two members of the panel have gone on record to state that they were not in agreement to the release,” read the letter.

It is clear that the invitation to both panels was just a sham and the names of the panelists who viewed the film are now being used to add credibility, Mahendra Singh said.

He added that the claims of historical authenticity were dropped and the movie was declared to be fictional, drawing inspiration from Malik Mohammad Jayasi’s poem Padmavat.