We Are Ready to Watch ‘Padmaavat’: Karni Sena Chief

He also warned that if the film releases on January 25, it would lead to an “enormous outburst of people”.

Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi.

(Photo: PTI)

After refusing Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s offer to watch the beleaguered Padmaavat, Rajput Karni Sena has turned around. In a media conference, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, the chief of the fringe political group which has rose to make headlines thanks to this controversy, said: “We are ready to watch the film. We never said that we will not watch the film. The filmmaker had assured us one year ago that he will go for a special screening and now he has written for the screening and we are ready for that.”

But at the same time, he said they should not be tricked into watching some other version of the film than the one releasing in theatres. He also reiterated that Karni Sena wouldn’t allow any intimate scenes between Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji - this, despite repeated assurances by the filmmakers that no such scene exists.

Kalvi says 2,000 women have registered to commit jauhar on 24 January to stop the release of the film.

According to IANS, Kalvi on Monday also said he would not allow Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat to be released "at any cost" and warned that if cinema halls went ahead with the January 25 release it would lead to an "enormous outburst of people".

He also urged other state governments that want a ban to come together to approach the Supreme Court.

Kalvi's comments come as the apex court is to hear on Tuesday a plea by the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan governments seeking to block the release of Padmaavat.

The counsels for the two states on Monday mentioned the matter for urgent hearing seeking modification/clarification of the court's January 18 order that stayed notification/orders of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana government banning the release of the film in the three states.

The court had directed that no state government would issue an order that might come in the way of the release of "Padmaavat" on January 25.

The Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh governments have moved the apex court taking the support of the Cinematograph Act where movie screening can be stopped on grounds of law and order in the state.

(With inputs from IANS)

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