President Ram Nath Kovind watched Kangana Ranaut starrer 'Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi' in the capital and the actress was here along with the cast and crew. The screening was held at Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural centre, post which the President also felicitated the cast and crew of the film.


Pictures were shared from the official Twitter handle of President of India and were captioned- "President Kovind watched a special screening of the film 'Manikarnika', based on the life of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre; felicitated the cast and crew of the film."

According to reports, the Maharashtra wing of the Karni Sena protested against the film on Thursday alleging that the period drama "alludes to Rani Laxmibai's relationship with a British officer".

The outfit -- which led a long protest against "Padmaavat" in 2017 -- also claimed that the film shows the queen dancing to a special number, saying that it is against tradition. They asked the makers of the film to show them the movie before its release.

Kangana reacting to it said- "Four historians have certified 'Manikarnika...'. We have got censor certificate as well. Karni Sena has been conveyed this but they are continuing to harass me," Kangana said in a statement.

"If they don't stop then they should know I am also a Rajput and I will destroy each one of them," added the actress, who has directed the film along with Krish.


Ntional Award-winning lyricist and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairman Prasoon Joshi has penned the songs for 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" which captures the life story of Rani Laxmibai. Kangana will be bringing her life alive on the big screen.

The film also features Ankita Lokhande, Atul Kulkarni, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, Danny Denzongpa, Suresh Oberoi and Jisshu Sengupta.

Produced by Zee Studios in association with Kamal Jain and Nishant Pitti, the movie will release on January 25.