Now CMs Shivraj, Amarinder jump on anti-'Padmavati' wagon: Top developments

"Padmavati" has faced protests and its makers and artists have faced threats of physical harm from fringe groups which say they would not allow "distortions" of Rajput history to be shown.

Padmavati row gets political
Even as the release of "Padmavati" has been deferred, three Chief Ministers on Monday jumped into the controversy with Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan announcing a ban on the film in his state, while his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh backed the Rajput community in its protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's historical drama that is mired in controversy. However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the controversy as "unfortunate" and a "calculated plan" to destroy freedom of expression.

In Jammu and Kashmir, senior National Conference (NC) leader and MLA Devender Rana urged Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ban the release of "Padmavati" in the state.The three chief minister's waded into the controversy after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath and his Rajasthan counterpart opposed the release of the film citing threat of serious law and order problem.

 

The film has been mired in controversy over conjectures that it "distorts history" regarding Rajput queen Padmavati, a contention that Bhansali has repeatedly denied.

The comments come a day after the release of "Padmavati" was "voluntarily" deferred from its scheduled date of December 1.

Some Hindu groups, mainly the Karni Sena of Rajasthan, have been vigorously protesting against the movie's release while some political outfits have demanded that its release be deferred in view of the Gujarat Assembly elections.
 

Deepika pulls out of Global Entrepreneurship Summit
Actress Deepika Padukone, who is at the centre of a row over "Padmavati", has pulled out of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), that will have US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the inauguration on November 28. The actress was expected to speak at a session on 'Hollywood to Nollywood to Bollywood: The Path to Moviemaking' on November 29. Some leaders of BJP and right-wing groups have threatened the actress and director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Few have even announced rewards for killing them. A leader of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasbha (ABKMS) has announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for "burning the actress alive".

SC rejects plea to block 'Padmavati' release
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea seeking to block the release of controversial film "Padmavati", saying that it is "premature" as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has yet to decide and any interference at this stage would amount to "pre-judging the matter". The court order came on a plea by advocate M.L. Sharma, seeking to block the release of the film till objectionable scenes were deleted. He also sought institution of a criminal case against filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for portraying queen Padmavati as a "dancer" in the film.
 

Now, Thackeray speaks to Bhansali over Padmavti row

In a new twist to the 'Padmavati' row, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray has spoken to Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on his upcoming film.Thackeray's conversation with Bhansali came during a meeting with some top Rajput community leaders who called on the Sena chief on Monday, seeking his intervention in the matter.

"We have made it clear that an amicable solution must be reached which does not harm the interests of the community. If Rajputs have objections to any scenes, then Bhansali must do the needful," Sena MP Sanjay Raut said in a briefing later.He said that Rajput queen Padmavati was a source of pride for not only the people of Rajasthan but the Hindus all over the country, who admire her valour and special place in the Indian history.Community leader and Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Raj Purohit has demanded that Bhansali write to the community and arrange a special screening for them.

Centre must resolve Rajputs' reservations on 'Padmavati': Congress

The Congress on Monday said that if the Rajputs had reseravtions on the "Padmavati" film, it was the Narendrra Modi government's responsibility to consult with the community to resolve their grievances."We have not watched the movie. The question should be put to the Narendra Modi government. We have always believed that diversity of India must be respected. "In our country, we have the freedom of speech and expression, but respecting history of every group/community is also part of that freedom," Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.