Renowned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali today had to face the wrath of angry protesters who assaulted him on the sets of his historical drama 'Padmavati'.
Bhansali was slapped, beaten and his hair was pulled by members of the Rajput Karni Sena, who stormed the shoot at Jaigarh Fort, according to reports.
They shouted protests and alleged that the film has love scenes between Queen Padmini and ruler Alauddin Khilji, played by actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.
The activists of a Rajput group created ruckus and even tried to vandalise the set at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur, alleging that "wrong facts" were being depicted in the movie.
In view of the trouble, the filmmaker decided not to shoot the movie on the location, police said.
While the shooting of the film, starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, was underway, the activists of Karni Sena assembled at the Jaigarh Fort and held a demonstration. Some of them also tried to vandalise the set.
"We had warned the filmmaker against presenting wrong facts. When we came to know about the shooting, we gathered there and protested," said district president of Karni sena Narayan Singh.
Another activist Vikram Singh said the film is presenting wrong facts about Padmavati.
"Our basic protest is about distortion of historic facts which will not be tolerated," he said. He alleged that a security guard opened fire in the air which created panic. However, police denied the allegation.
After the shooting was stalled, Bhansali and his team members talked to the Karni Sena and assured them that their demands would be looked into.
"The filmmakers have assured that they will not shoot here and will pack up," DCP North Anshuman Bhomia said.
He said that there was no report of firing and no FIR has been lodged by any party so far.
