Padmaavat: Fringe outfit announces bounty on Deepika Padukone’s nose

Kanpur Kshatriya Mahasabha warned the district administration and police of massive protests across the city if period drama Padmaavat is released.

A day before the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial film ‘Padmaavat’, an outfit in Kanpur announced a cash reward for anyone chopping off actor Deepika Padukone’s nose.

Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone visits a temple before the release of her upcoming film "Padmaavat" in Mumbai. (Reuters Photo)

“We have collected a bounty of crores of rupees from Kanpurites to be given as reward to anyone who will bring the chopped off nose of Deepika Padukone,” Kanpur Kshatriya Mahasabha president Gajendra Singh Rajawat told PTI here.

Earlier, a Meerut resident from the Kshatriya community had announced a bounty of Rs 5 crore on the heads of film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Deepika Padukone for allegedly “wrongfully portraying” queen Padmini in the film ‘Padmavati’.

On Wednesday, Kanpur Kshatriya Mahasabha activists staged a dharna at Shikshak Park seeking a ban on the movie and warned the district administration and police to be ready to face massive protests across the city if the controversial film “which has twisted the facts” was allowed to be screened in the city.

They also threatened theatre owners that their property would be vandalised.

As news about the protest at Shikshak Park reached senior officials, a heavy police contingent rushed there to ensure that law and order was not disturbed.

To prevent any untoward incident, security has been beefed up in and around all the malls and cinema halls, Senior Superintendent of Police, Akhilesh Kumar said.