Padmavati row: Karni Sena threatens to vandalise halls

The Rajput Karni Sena has registered disagreement with CBFC decision to allow the theatrical release of Padmavati with 26 cuts.

Karni Sena has been spearheading the nationwide protests against the screening of the film.

The organisation marked its protest within an hour of the CBFC decision, which also included a change in the name of the movie to 'Padmavat'.

A member of the organisation, Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, while talking to media persons, said, "They are playing with our emotions. Members of the committee formed to review the film have opposed it but the censor board is taking this decision due to underworld pressure".

Karni Sena has also threatened to vandalise those cinema halls which will screen the film,

"Our members will be outside cinema halls and we will vandalise those that screen the film. This time protests are going to be fierce", Gogamedi said.  
 
The former royals of Jaipur have already demanded a complete ban on the movie, stating that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film shows Rani Padmini in a bad light.

However, a special panel that reviewed the film consisted of two Rajasthan-based historians R S Khangarot, principal of Agrawal College in Jaipur, and B L Gupta, retired head of the History department and professor K K Singh from Udaipur.

CBFC had also approached three erstwhile rulers, Raghuveer Singh of Sirohi, Maharawal Jagmal Singh of Banswara and Vishwaraj Singh Mewar, for their expert views on the film.  

According to a release issued by the CBFC, the board had a meeting of their examining committee on December 28, which decided to give the film a U/A certification, along with some modifications and likely change of the film's title to the source material from which the film was made.

Protests against the 200-crore film marked its presence in most cities in India.

Right from the shooting of the film till the release of its trailer and a  song, the Rajput body has alleged that there are two elements in the film which have no historical record.

The first is a scene in which Deepika Padukone is shown romancing with Khilji.

The second objection is to Padmavati performing the 'Ghoomar' dance in a darbar which they said is an affront to the Rajput culture as no queen or princess would ever dance in a durbar.