The problems for filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali seems to keep mounting, now with a member of the erstwhile royal family and BJP MLA Diya Kumari saying that they will not allow the film to release if historical facts are distorted.
“No film should hurt sentiments of a community by twisting historical facts,” Kumari said on Tuesday. She said that Bhansali should not wrongly portray the story of Queen Padmavati. He should get the facts verified by a forum of historians and then release the film.
She added that Rajputs will not allow any distortion of history. “If the movie does not display authentic history or takes any liberties, it will not be allowed to be released.”
In September members of the Rajput Karni Sena had burnt posters of the movie in Jaipur and warned the makers that they will not let the film release in Rajasthan unless it’s pre-screened to Rajput and Hindu outfits.
Distributors wary of releasing Padmavati in Rajasthan
Film distributors in the state are also wary of releasing Padmavati”, scheduled to hit the screens on December 1. “I can talk about my company... We will not like to buy the distribution rights of the film till the controversy is resolved,” Raj Bansal, a leading film distributor here, said.
{{/usCountry}}Film distributors in the state are also wary of releasing Padmavati”, scheduled to hit the screens on December 1. “I can talk about my company... We will not like to buy the distribution rights of the film till the controversy is resolved,” Raj Bansal, a leading film distributor here, said.
{{/usCountry}}Echoing similar views, another distributor on condition of anonymity, said: “No one would like to be part of controversy... So I would not like to buy the distribution rights.”
There are around 300 screens in Rajasthan and it will be a loss of around Rs 5 crore if the film is not released in the state, sources said.
Rani Padmini or Padmavati was a 13-14th-century queen of Chittorgarh and the Rajput community has alleged that the movie suggests an “amorous relationship” between Padmavati (played by Deepika Padukone) and Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh). Bhansali and his team have dismissed the claims.
With inputs from IANS