Vaghela Backs Karni Sena’s Demand for ‘Padmavati’ Pre-Screening

Former Gujarat CM Shankersinh Vaghela threatens ‘Padmavati’ of violent protests if pre-screening is not arranged.

Deepika Padukone in a scene from Padmavati.

Former Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela has demanded a pre-release screening of the Deepika Padukone starrer Padmavati for Hindu and Kshatriya community leaders, to check whether facts have been distorted in the film and also warned of violent protests, if its makers failed to do so.

As the movie is expected to be released on December 1, I want Bhansali to first show it to Hindu as well as Kshatriya leaders, as people suspect that some facts have been distorted and presented in a wrong way in the movie.

Shankersinh Vaghela, Former Congress leader

Also Read: Show Us ‘Padmavati’ or We Burn Cinema Halls: Jai Rajputana Sangh

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Padmavati also stars Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.

Vaghela said that one cannot tamper with historical facts and present them as per one’s wishes to get “cheap publicity”.

If the movie is released without pre-screening, Gujarat will witness violent protests and law and order may go out of control. I apologise to the cinema owners in advance if people take law into their hands.

Shankersinh Vaghela

Also Read: Characters Like ‘Padmavati’ Never Leave You: Deepika Padukone

Vaghela quit the Congress after the Rajya Sabha polls in August and launched a new front, Jan Vikalp, which would field its candidates on all the 182 seats in Gujarat, where assembly elections will be held in December in two phases.

The upcoming movie had earlier run into controversy after the Rajasthan based Rajput group Karni Sena raised objections over certain depictions in the movie, claiming that history was being distorted. Earlier this year, Bhansali was attacked by members of the Karni Sena during the filming of Padmavati in Rajasthan.

Last month, alleged Karni Sena members burnt posters of the film after the first looks of its main characters – Padmavati (Deepika Padukone), Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) and Allaudin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), were released.

They also threatened to oppose the screening of the movie in theatres if the facts were distorted.

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