Press Trust Of India
Kota/New Delhi/Mumbai, Nov 16: The controversy over film ‘Padmavati’ took an ugly turn Thursday as a leader of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena cited Ramayana’s Surpanakha nose-chopping incident and warned Deepika Padukone against “inciting” sentiments. Reacting to the development, the Mumbai police soon stepped up actor’s security.
Meanwhile, protests were held in several parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, against the movie, which is slated to be released December 1.
Ajmer Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan also joined the chorus of voices against the film and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban it, saying it hurt religious sentiments.
Earlier, referring to the nose chopping of ‘Surupnakha’ in the epic Ramayana, Karni Sena leader Mahipal Singh Makrana said that while Kshatriyas respected women, but if the film was not banned and Padukone does not stop inciting sentiments with her provocative language, the Rajputs will not lag behind in acting.
Padukone had reportedly said that nothing could stop the release of the film and that India had regressed as a nation.
The Mumbai Police beefed up the security of the actor following the outfit’s aggressive stance. The police will also provide security at the actress’s residence as well as office in Mumbai. The police have already provided protection to filmmaker Bhansali. They have also beefed up security at Bhansali’s residence in Versova in Mumbai.
The Karni Sena has called for a country-wide bandh December 1, the day the film is slated to be released.
Meanwhile, Ajmer Dargah Deewan Khan compared Bhansali with controversial writers Salman Rushdie, Taslima Nasreen and Tareq Fatah, and said Muslims should oppose the film. He also said a film, in which historical facts were depicted in a distorted manner, could adversely affect the law-and-order situation if it was allowed to be screened in theatres.
Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor also waded in the controversy claiming in Mumbai that the “so called valourous maharajas” had scurried to accommodate themselves when the British “trampled” over their honour and were now after a filmmaker claiming prestige was at stake.
Protests were held by various organisations in several parts. The Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), however, came to the film’s defence. The association wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking a smooth release of the film.
Meanwhile, a Meerut resident from the Kshatriya community Thursday announced a bounty of Rs 5 crore on the heads of film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actress Deepika Padukone for “wrongfully portraying” queen Padmini in their coming film ‘Padmavati’. Thakur Abhishek Som of Sardhana Chaubisi, who claimed affiliation to the Samajwadi Party, said the Kshatriya community will not tolerate wrongful portrayal of the queen and meddling with its rich heritage.