A court in Rajasthan has accepted a complaint against filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actors Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and others in regard to ongoing controversy relating to their forthcoming film Padmavati.
This comes even as protests erupt in Delhi, where a group burned Bhansali’s effigy.
As the controversy surrounding the historical drama continues to rage in India, the complainant is expected to record his statement on November 27.
“The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, while accepting the complaint, has said that it will record my statement on November 27,” complainant Bhawani Shankar Sharma said.
Sharma, in his complaint, has alleged that the film hurts sentiments of many, not alone Rajputs.
Violent protests were held that badly hurt unity and integrity of the country, he said in the plea. “The news about this also spread in foreign countries too, which affected tourist arrivals and also the tourists who are in the country faced many problems because of this.”
His lawyer Farid Khan said that the crew did not follow the rules and legal provisions in this regard.
“How can Bhansali screen movies to select few before showing it to the censor board,” he asked.
Padmavati has been marred in controversies since its shooting started. In January, activists of the Karni Sena had manhandled with its crew here and vandalised equipment, claiming that Bhansali was “distorting” historical facts in the movie.
Karni Sena activists earlier this month vandalised a theatre over reports that it was showing the film’s trailer and a leader of the outfit threatened Paukone over “provocative statements”.
Meanwhile, Friday’s protest in Delhi by the Rashtriya Chetna Manch saw around 60 people gather outside a metro station to burn the effigy of the film director.
The film was scheduled to be released on December 1, but now it has been deferred.
On November 22, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani declared his government would not allow the release of Padmavati in the poll-bound state.
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held the film had “distorted facts” about Rajput queen Padmavati and would not be allowed to be released in his state, even if it gets censor board certification.
His Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath had held the movie director responsible for hurting sentiments of the Rajput community, while Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had sought edits in the film to remove “objectionable sequences”.
