‘Padmavati’ global release on hold
Movie will release in the UAE and UK when the Indian censor board gives clearance
The makers of Padmavati have said the film will not release globally, including in the UAE and the UK, until it gets clearance in India.
The news comes even as reports circulate that the British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC) has given the clearance to release the Sanjay Leela Bhansali period drama in the UK on its original date, December 1.
The BBFC, which is the official body responsible for the national classification and censorship of films showcased in cinemas in the UK, announced
Padmavati’s release date on its official website and social media platform, with a runtime of 164 minutes. However, the makers confirmed to
tabloid! that the film will not release in any market in the world until it obtains clearance from India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Starring Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, the film has been at the centre of a storm in India, with rightwing groups demanding a ban on the film’s release for distorting historical facts. Padukone and Bhansali have also been at the receiving end of death threats.
The film also stars Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji and Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh.
Padmavati is being distributed internationally by Paramount Pictures.
In the latest development blocking the film’s release in India, at least eight organisations under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Shakti Samaj launched a signature campaign to have some controversial scenes censored.
“We want the scenes showing distorted version of history to be deleted before the film is released,” said a member of the group.
The protesters said they would submit a deputation to West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi reiterating their demands. “We also plan to submit a deputation to the chief minister [Mamata Banerjee] in this regard,” the member said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also declared that his government would not allow Padmavati to be released in the poll-bound state.
Rupani said the ban was not only limited to the state assembly polls, which will be held in December, “but till the controversies subside”.
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said the film had “distorted facts” about Rajput queen Padmavati and would not be allowed to be released in his state, even if it was certified by CBFC.
His Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Yogi Adityanath, had held the movie director responsible for hurting the sentiments of the Rajput community, while Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s government sought edits to remove objectionable sequences.