Padmaavat: Even after 16 days of release, Madhya Pradesh fails to screen Bhansali's film owing to Karni Sena protests

Bhopal/Indore: Bollywood film Padmaavat, which was mired in controversy due to protests by Rajput outfits, could not be released in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal and Indore on 8 February amid protests by Shri Rajput Karni Sena. [caption id=“attachment_4316709” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh from Padmaavat poster. Facebook[/caption]

After the police ensured ample security, cinema hall owners in the two cities agreed to screen the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film.

A special screening was held for Karni Sena activists in Indore late on 7 February. However, the Rajput outfit continued to object to the film’s screening claiming facts have been distorted, leading to cinema halls cancelling the proposed screening. In Bhopal, five cinema halls had agreed to screen the film but only in the evening. But after the cinema hall owners in Indore did not release the film, their counterparts in Bhopal also backed out. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Padmaavat chronicles the life and times of the 13th-century Rajput queen Padmavati (essayed by Deepika Padukone) of Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. It narrates the life of the queen after getting married to Maharawal Ratan Singh (essayed by Shahid Kapoor) and how she chooses self-immolation over falling prey to the evil hands of the invader and ruler of Delhi Sultanate Alauddin Khilji (essayed by Ranveer Singh). The film is based on the 16th-century epic ballad Padmavat written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. It released on 25 January in India and overseas. (With inputs from IANS)