Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday announced that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial film Padmavati, retitled Padmavat, will not release in the state on January 25.
“The sacrifice of Rani Padmini is a matter of pride for the state and she is not just a chapter of history for us,” Raje said.
“Rani Padmini is our self-respect and we will not let it hurt in any case. Directions in this regard have been given to Rajasthan Home minister,” she added.
Following the announcement, state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, the Rajasthan BJP chief and several Rajput organisations spoke out against the movie.
The film, mired in controversy over its plot line about a Rajput queen, has been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which has asked its makers to change the title and suggested other modifications.
Though Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Bhansali have not released an official statement yet, sources in the production house said the film will release on January 25, a day before the Indian Republic Day.
The period romance that features Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in lead roles was earlier scheduled to be released on December 1.
The chief minister has already written to the central government on the issues related to the film and it will not be released in Rajasthan, Kataria told reporters.
BJP state president Ashok Parnami said that if the film has some controversial scenes, then it will not be tolerated and protests will continue.
There will be agitations if the history of Rajasthan is distorted in the movie, he said
Groups representing the Rajput community held a combined press conference at the Rajput Sabha Bhawan in Jaipur.
President of the Shree Rajput Sabha, Giriraj Singh Lotwara, said that it was unfortunate that the censor board wanted to favour the producers instead of considering recommendations of the panel that reviewed the movie.
The CBFC had appointed a special panel to review the film as many Rajput organisations were up in arms against the portrayal of queen Padmini in the film even though historians are divided on whether she actually existed.
“We will give a reply to the BJP in the bypolls scheduled in the state. It will be our target to have the BJP defeated,” Lotwara said at the press conference.
The BJP-led state government was trying to crush Rajputs. Changing the name of the film cannot change the facts, president of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi said.
“We will not let the film release in the country. We have been protesting peacefully for the last one year. If the film is released on January 25, then theatres will burn,” he said.
Shree Rajput Karni Sena Mahipal chief Singh Makrana said that until now, protests have been organised keeping law and order in mind.
