Padmavati protests trickle down to city

Kolkata: Protest against Padmavati reached Kolkata on Sunday with members of Bharat Kshatriya Samaj staging protest in front of Navina cinema hall at Prince Anwar Shah Road in South Kolkata where the film was scheduled to be released on December 1.

The protesters raised slogans that they will not let Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film release in the state. They said that they will meet Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee next week in this regard. They also burnt posters of the film. The film, starring Deepika Padukone as Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji, has triggered protests in different parts of the country, especially in Rajasthan.

"Bhansali has tried to distort history of the country. Usne itihaas ko badalne ki koshish ki to hum uska bhugol badal denge (If he tries to change history, we will change the geography of his face). Over the next couple of days, we will hold protests across Kolkata. We will be meeting the Governor and the Chief Minister next week to demand that the movie should not be released here. We will not allow the movie to be released in Bengal," Bharat Kshatriya Samaj youth president Deepak Singh said. The outfit has demanded that the scheduled release of the film on December 1 be cancelled without any discussion and demanded that it should be screened for the representatives of the Rajput community first and be released only if they are satisfied.

Meanwhile, Viacom18, producers of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmavati, voluntarily deferred the film's release date. The film was set to hit the screens on December 1. A new release date will be announced once the "requisite clearances" are in place, the production house added.

The company has emphasised its "respect and regard for the law of the land and all our institutions and statutory bodies including the Central Board of Film Certification."