Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar’s period epic ‘Prithviraj’, based on the life and times of Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan, has run into trouble with the Karni Sena, a right-wing group in India, who raised their objection against its title.
Karni Sena famously demanded that Deepika Padukone’s period epic ‘Padmaavati’ be changed to ‘Padmaavat’. In 2017, they allegedly vandalised the sets and slapped its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali as they protested against the film.
According to a report in Quint, the Rajput outfit is now offended by the title of Kumar’s new saga and believe that the title should have his last name or is disrespectful.
“How can they keep the title of the film just as ‘Prithviraj’ when the film is based on the great Prithviraj Chauhan? We want the title to be changed to his full name and give respect to him,” said Surjeet Singh Rathore, President of the Youth Wing of the Karni Sena to reporters in India.
They have also demanded that film is screened to them before it releases for public consumption.
“If they don’t listen to our advice they will have to face the consequences. What happened to Sanjay Leela Bhansali during ‘Padmaavat’, the makers of this film will be prepared for it too,” warned Rathore.
Karni Sena is notorious for making their threats real. In 2017, protests were staged in different parts of India to pressurise Bhansali and his team to bow down to their demands. Padukone was also threatened with her nose being chopped off.
Directed by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, ‘Prithviraj’ is produced by Yash Raj Films and also stars Manushi Chillar. The makers or the actors are yet to comment on Karni Sena’s demand for title change.
