A reel life crisis

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus 'Padmavati' has been mired in  controversy since the beginning. Right-wing groups have been protesting  against the movie for the alleged portrayal of Rajput queen Rani Padmini in bad light. Now the Censor Board has added to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's woes by rejecting his application for the movie, citing "technical deficiencies" in the form.  Bengalureans share their thoughts on the issue with Metrolife.

Ashcharya Prabhu, Freelance marketing consultant
"I feel people should let it go. Filmmaking is a dedicated process which needs a lot of hard work. The filmmaker is trying to give us a story - watch the film for the love of cinema rather than looking at historical elements. Even in history, we are not absolutely sure of what is fact and what is fiction. These stories are passed down over generations and nobody knows how much of it is actually true and concrete."

Sadhana Upadhya, Actor
"These protests are baseless. The movie is not even been released yet. Then how can anyone comment on content? If people had felt that their culture is being distorted after watching the movie and then protested, it would have made more sense. Every movie involves a lot of effort and a responsible filmmaker would do some research."

Nagacharan, Filmmaker
"These are all speculations. How can they decide anything without watching the film? It hurts to see that the independence of a filmmaker is taken away with such protests. There is a lot of research that is done before one decides to make a movie. The small groups who are raking up these issues are just using these protests as a platform to become popular."

Tony D'Cruz, Businessman
"These protests are a way to create a hype just before the release of the movie. I have read an article on the internet and there is no record of any relationship between Alauddin Khilji and Padmini. If they have shown something like that in the movie, then it is purposely done to provoke. The more controversial it is, more the excitement and curiosity.

(As told to Surupasree Sarmmah)