BHANSALI FACES A ‘FIRING SQUAD’

In the midst of a raging controversy over his film "Padmavati", its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Thursday appeared before a Parliamentary committee which grilled him for two and a half hours.

The committee asked him whether generating a controversy was a new trend and it helped in selling the movie, sources told PTI. The members, in this context, referred to the undue free publicity the movie has got in the print and social media.

They further suggested it to him that it seemed his movies tend to target communities, which produces tension between them.

The members were particularly peeved with the selective media screening of the movie and wanted to know whether it was fair & ethical. ‘‘Was it an attempt to influence the Central Board of Film Certification," they demanded.

It was also pointed out that he did not screen the movie for the Karni Sena and other sections that were agitating about the movie.

He was also asked to explain how he could be so presumptuous as to assume that the movie would be released on December 1, even though he had applied to the CBFC only on November 11. Under the Cinematography Act, the CBFC can take 68 days to certify a movie.

He was specifically asked about the depiction of mass ‘sati’ by Rajput women in the movie and whether it was justified; also, was he right in sending the movie abroad before the clearance by the Censor Board; and whether the dream sequence on Khilji and Padmavati was there in the movie in the first place?

Bhansali maintained that the row over his yet-to-be released movie was just based on rumours, strongly rejecting the criticism that he had distorted historical facts about the 16th century Rajput queen. "We don't intend to hurt anyone's sentiments," the director told the 30-member panel.

He was finally told to give his detailed response in writing – within 14 days. The meeting was called by the panel which looks into the issues of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The panel is headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur and its members are senior BJP leader LK Advani, Paresh Rawal and Hema Malini among others.

Prasoon Joshi, who heads the Central Board of Film Certification, also appeared before another parliamentary committee. He told it that a decision on the film would be taken after showing it to experts, sources said.

Joshi also told the panel that the film had not yet been approved and the board had only cleared the trailer and promos of the period film. The movie would be shown to regional and central screening committees before a decision is taken.