COUNTDOWN TO ‘Padmaavat’ begins amid hope and fear

Much to the relief of the filmmakers, the SC allowed a country-wide release of the movie on January 25

Protests and threats of violence may have made things tough for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Padmaavat’, but trade pundits, exhibitors and even the audiences are excited to watch the much-awaited period drama in the theatres.

Owing to historical “inaccuracies” in ‘Padmaavat’ that is headlined by Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh — states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana had initially called for a ban on the film.

But, much to the relief of the filmmaker and the distributors, the Supreme Court, earlier this week, allowed a country-wide release of the controversial movie on January 25.

“There may be problems in certain parts of India. We have requested and advised exhibitors to approach police authorities to safeguard their property and the lives of the audience coming to the theatres.

“We don't know their (protesters) line of action. So we have told the exhibitors to take note of the scenario and take decisions to screen the film in their areas accordingly,” Nitin Dhar, former president and member of the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India, told PTI.

Dhar said the association has also written a letter to the home minister and the chief ministers of a few states requesting adequate security arrangements. With advance booking on the way for ‘Padmaavat’, Dhar is believes the movie will do well.