Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje joins anti-Padmavati league

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has said that Padmavati would not be released in the state till necessary changes as per suggestions given to the Centre were incorporated in the film.

The Chief Minister on Monday said that the movie will be allowed to release in Rajasthan only after the changes proposed by her in a letter to Union Minister Smriti Irani are complied with. Raje has suggested that the storyline of the film should be reviewed by historical experts and film stars to assure that the sentiments of the Rajputs are not hurt.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed epic drama has been facing huge protest by various groups, besides many chief ministers have come under the umbrella to ban the movie in their respective states.

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the film will not be allowed to release in the state unless the objectionable scenes are removed. "We have been reading about the queen's sacrifice from childhood. Distortion of history will not be tolerated. Unless the objectionable scenes are removed, I will not let the film to be released across the state," he told a gathering after holding a meeting with the representatives of Rajput community. Chouhan's Punjab counterpart Captain Amarinder Singh and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also spoke along the same lines.

However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday extended her support to the film and said that the controversy was "a calculated plan of a political party to destroy the freedom of expression". Banerjee tweeted, "We condemn this super emergency. All in the film industry must come together and protest in one voice."

The movie, starring actors Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, has been embroiled in flak from various groups, including Shri Rajput Karni Sena, for allegedly tampering with historical facts. Amid the hue and cry, the release of the movie was also deferred.

It was earlier slated to release on December 1.

-ANI