Deepika Padukone’s Padmavati which has been marred by controversies for distorting historical facts and showing Rajput queen in bad light, will now not release on its scheduled release date. The release of controversial Sanjay Leela Bhansali period drama has been voluntarily deferred sighting the outrage against the film. A company spokesperson of the film's producer and distributor Viacom18 Motion Pictures said on Sunday.
The film, mired in controversy over conjectures that it "distorts history" regarding Rajput queen Padmavati, will not release on its scheduled date on December 1. A new release date will be announced once the "requisite clearances" are in place, said the spokesperson in a statement.
Some Hindu groups have been protesting against the movie's release while some political outfits have demanded that its release be deferred in view of the Gujarat Assembly elections.
The makers have also not got a clearance yet from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which said the application from the makers was "incomplete". A new release date will be announced once the "requisite clearances" are in place.
"We are a responsible, law-abiding corporate citizen and have the highest respect and regard for the law of the land and all our institutions and statutory bodies including the CBFC.
"We always have and are committed to continue following the established procedure and convention. We have faith that we will soon obtain the requisite clearances to release the film.
"We will announce the revised release date of the film in due course," the statement added.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles. Deepika Padukone has been heavily criticised by Rajput community for flaunting skin while performing the ‘Ghoomar’ dance. They’ve also accused Sanjay Leela Bhansali for distorting history and presenting a wrong version of revered Rajput queen Rani Padmini.
Many popular celebrities of Bollywood including Shilpa Shetty, Anurag Kashyap, Shabana Azmi, etc backed Sanjay Leela Bhansali in this entire matter. Deepika Padukone’s xXx: The Return of Xander Cage Ruby Rose also backed Deepika Padukone on the matter. Veteran actress Shabana Azmi urged the entire film fraternity to boycott the International Indian Film Festival to be held in Goa. She also expressed her anger with the film industry for sitting mum on the matter.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan CM Vasundhra Raje appealed to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, urging her to ensure that Padmavati is not released without deleting the objectionable scenes.
