Padmavati release: upset Mewar royals write to Smriti Irani

Warns that the film's release could bring unrest in Rajasthan

Former royals of Mewar have registered their disagreement over reported alterations and modifications claimed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati.

 

Arvind Singh Mewar, who was part of the review panel invited by the CBFC, strongly objected to the certification of the movie. He said there should be a law that demarcates limits in the portrayal of historical characters in films.

 

"I was there on the board and I am not satisfied with the CBFC's move. We're not against movies based on history, but they need to be historically correct. It does not matter if there are 26 cuts or five cuts; what matters is the dissatisfaction of the panel towards its release," Arvind Singh told media.

 

Mahendra Singh, the eldest member in the erstwhile royal family of Mewar, also wrote a letter to Union Minister Smriti Irani and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Singh warned that the release of the movie could bring social unrest in Rajasthan.

 

The letter says, "All claims of historical authenticity have been dropped and the movie is now declared to be fictional, that too, only drawing inspiration from Malik Mohammad Jayasi's poem Padmavat, not even being an adaptation thereof. The movie thereby misrepresents not only our culture but also this poem! There are chances of adverse impact if the movie is released."

 

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

 

There have been numerous protests against the Rs 200-crore film, with the Rajput community alleging that there are two elements which have no historical record. The first is a scene in which Deepika Padukone's Padmavati is shown romancing Alauddin Khilji. The second objection is to Padmavati performing the 'Ghoomar' dance in a darbar which, they say, is an affront to Rajput culture as no queen or princess would ever dance in a darbar.