Protests against Padmavati reach Surat

Protests against director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus 'Padmavati' reached Surat on Sunday.

The Rajput Community, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal and the Karni Sena held a joint protest against the release of the film in Surat.

"The government must put a ban on the release of film because it is portraying Rani Padmavati in an objectionable way. The history has been distorted in this film. The government has to listen to us otherwise everyone will have to face consequences for this. We won't tolerate the disrespect on our community," a protestor said in Surat.

Meanwhile, in Maharashtra at least 15 members of the Akhand Rajputana Seva Sangh were detained while protesting.

"We have been arrested by the police. We are opposing the movie which is portraying our queen in wrong and objectionable way doing romance and all. We won't allow the film to be released if the objectionable part from the movie isn't deleted," one of the arrested protestors from the Rajput community in Mumbai told ANI.

Earlier, the Supreme Court rejected the petition filed against the release of 'Padmavati', saying the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had not as yet issued a certificate to the movie.

While dismissing the petition, the top court said the CBFC was an independent body and the court should not intervene in their jurisdiction.

The period drama starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Shahid Kapoor has been facing protests from various communal groups, including Shree Rajput Karni Sena, for allegedly tampering with historical facts.

The Karni Sena, which demolished the sets of the movie in Jaipur and also thrashed Bhansali, last month, again, had warned the director that he would face consequences if the movie distorted historical facts.

The movie is slated to hit the theatres on December 1.