Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi gets U/A certification from CBFC amidst reported Karni Sena protests

Ahead of its release, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has received U/A certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The Kangana Ranaut-starrer had earlier invited severe protests from political outfits who had claimed to be part of Karni Sena. However, with the new certification, it seems like the protests were not paid heed to.

#Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi certified UA by Indian censors #CBFC on 16 Jan 2019. Approved run time: 148 minutes [2 hours, 28 minutes]... #India

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 20, 2019

The other factor, worthy of noting, is the fact that the present CBFC chairman, Prasoon Joshi is closely associated with Manikarnika; The Queen of Jhansi, having penned lyrics and dialogues of the film.

Earlier, the film had incited political factions which claimed that the period drama had allusions to a apparent relationship between Rani Lakshmibai and a British officer. The depiction of the queen dancing to a special number was also one of the reasons people protested. They claimed that a person from royalty would not involve themselves in activities like a public dance and hence, the portrayal was "against tradition."

However, national spokesperson of Karni Sena and ex-major Dr Himanshu said the outfit's name was being wrongly used to gain traction. He clarified that the body had no objection with the film.

A U/A certification entails that the film may be viewed by audiences freely, with parental guidance for children below 12 years of age.

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is slated to release on 25 January.