Gehlot asks Censor Board to take note of opposition to 'Panipat'

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday urged the Censor Board to take note of the claims that Ashutosh Gowariker's "Panipat" had wrongly portrayed Maharaja Surajmal.

He also urged distributors to have a dialogue with Rajasthan's Jat community, some of whose members are offended by the film starring Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt.

Gehlot's reaction comes a day after Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh demanded a ban on the screening the film in North India to avoid any law and order situation.

"The reactions that are coming about the portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal ji in the film... such a situation should not have been created, the chief minister said. "The Censor Board should intervene and take cognisance of it.

"Distributors should immediately hold a dialogue with the people of the Jat community on the screening of the film," Gehlot said in a statement in Hindi.

He said personalities in a film should be showed in the right perspective so that there is no controversy.

"I believe that art and the artists should be respected but they should also take care that any caste, religion, class, great personalities and gods are not insulted," Gehlot said.

The movie is based on the Third Battle of Panipat fought between the Maratha empire and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.

Arjun Kapoor plays the role of Sadashiv Rao Bhau, commander of the Maratha army. Bharatpur king Surajmal is shown as having denied help to the Maratha army.

About two years back there were protest in Rajasthan and some other northern states over the portrayal of legendary Rajput queen Padmini in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat.