The test of time

After much controversy and struggle, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat' has finally hit the screens. The interests are many -- while some want to know what the chaos is all about, the others are looking forward to the stellar starcast. There are also those who believe that every Sanjay Leela Bhansali film has something new to offer and they want to see what it is this time.

The sale of tickets both online and at the counter are moving at a brisk pace. The online bookings for the film opened three days in advance at most of the multiplexes in the city and the rush hasn't died down since. Tarini Nagaraj, a stylist, is watching the film with her father. "We booked tickets three days in advance and it wasn't very tough for me to get it because I was among the first to book.

The primary reason to watch the film is that I am a big fan of Deepika Padukone. I liked her character in 'Bajirao Mastani' and I am looking forward to something similar in 'Padmaavat'. I am a stylist by profession, so styling is another aspect of the film that I am eager to see," says Tarini.

Ask her about the controversy surrounding the film and she says, "Social media has become a space for people to rant on just about anything and everything. Protesting is fine but it should not be done at the cost of the infringement of one's freedom."

Kiran, a filmmaker, says that she is looking forward to watching the film. "The art direction is what I am looking forward to and that is more important to me than the story or the performance. The remarks made against the film were unnecessary. It is important to give importance to people's sentiments but it shouldn't be done at the cost of one's creative freedom. Any objection to the content could have been debated and discussed, instead of creating an issue. This led to the postponing of the release of the film," says Kiran.

There are a few others like Vrinda Neeshath, a project engineer, who doesn't want to rush to watch the film but prefers to wait till all the excitement dies down. "I was impressed with the trailer and I have been following the developments related to the film since. The costumes and creativity is what has impressed me the most. The grand scale on which the film has been made is something to watch out for," says Vrinda.

Almost all the multiplexes and single-screen theatres that are screening 'Padmaavat' have been seeing a steady increase in the sale of tickets. Lokesh Kumar, the manager at one of the multiplexes, says "The online sale of tickets is on the fast-filling mode. We have increased the number of shows because of the demand for tickets online and at the counter as well."

The manager at the ticket counter at Rex Theatre on Brigade Road, says "People have been queuing up at the ticket counter since Wednesday morning. The tickets are moving fast. We haven't hiked our prices. The tickets for balcony are priced at Rs 250 and the other stall is Rs 200."