Raza Murad slams attack on 'Padmavati' sets in Kolhapur

Condemning the attack on filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati' sets, veteran actor Raza Murad on Wednesday told ANI that it is an organised crime and such acts indicates dictatorship instead of democracy.

"This seems like an organised crime where certain people have conspired and torched the set at night. I don't understand whether we are living in a democracy or a dictatorship," he said.

He added that the issue needs to be taken seriously by the government and strict actions should be taken against the culprits.

"Everybody has a right to make a film and express themselves. If somebody is not comfortable with that then they have the right to protest as well, but these kinds of acts are not at all acceptable.

This issues needs to be taken seriously," Murad asserted, adding, "This is a start to certain type of vandalism where film directors and crew are assaulted and properties are destroyed."

Months after the attack on the set of 'Padmavati' in Jaipur, it has yet again been vandalised and set on fire in Kolhapur Tuesday night.

The movie has been under the radar ever since its announcement.

After the Jaipur attack, Bhansali shifted the base to Kolhapur, Maharashtra, to resume the shooting.

It was just a few weeks ago that the 'Bajirao Mastani' director resumed shooting at Masai plateau, some 20 kilometers from Kolhapur.

On a related note, Bhansali increased his security after the Jaipur attack, where he was manhandled by the members of Karni Sena and accused of wrongly presenting the facts related to Queen of Chittor Padmavati.

According to Karni Sena's claims, the filmmaker was insulting the Rajputana pride by allegedly showing a romantic sequence between Emperor Alauddin Khilji, played by Ranveer Singh, and Rani Padmini, played by Deepika Padukone, which never happened in history.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Bhansali is safe, but the shooting has been stopped till further notice.