Padmavati row: Karni Sena to demand 'pre-censor board' to review historical films

Mumbai: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s highly ambitious ‘Padmavati’ had run in to some serious trouble when members of the Rajput Karni Sena assaulted the ace-director over allegations of a lovemaking scene between Queen Padmini and Islamic invader Alauddin Khilji.

However, SLB’s team had vehemently denied the rumours and clarified that there would be no such sequence in the film between actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who portray the two characters.

However the political unit reiterated that they’d not tolerate any form of historic distortion, though they aren’t against ‘art’.

But the Censor Board’s refusal to take action against Bhansali, despite their strong request has irked the Karni Sena. The CBDC said that they’d not be in a position to take any action, since the film is yet to be finished and has not been submitted for a review yet.

This has prodded the Karni Sena to approach the I&B Ministry and put forward the prospect of a 'pre-censor board', which is to be a panel of ‘experts’ who will monitor historical and period films to keep a tab on ‘distortion’ of facts.

"Truth often gets overshadowed by the subjectivity of perception which can mislead generations of audience and result in poor understanding of history. And when comes to Bollywood, it has happened several times in the recent past, such as in the case of the film Jodhaa Akbar in 2008,” Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder of Shree Rajput Karni Sena.

Members of the Karni Sena had stormed the sets of the film in Rajasthan and beaten up Bhansali, which had forced a majority of the industry to come out in support of the national award winning director.

"We have been working for more than 10 years to safeguard the glory of the Rajput community and our ancestors. We are proud of our heritage and will not tolerate any conspiracy that compromises our self-respect. It’s unfortunate to see the Censor Board endorsing Bhansali. Few days back, when we met the censor board authorities, they told us that no action can be taken before the entire film is made and comes to us for review. However, I have personally met the director who has assured us that the film will show no intimate scenes between Ranveer and Deepika,” Kalvi added.

The film, slated for a November 17 release, also stars Shahid Kapoor as Rana Rawal Ratan Singh, alongside Aditi Rao Hydari and Jim Sarbh.