Padmavati row: Kshatriya Mahasabha burns effigies of Deepika, Bhansali

Protest in Moradabad (U.P.) against 'Padmavati'/Image- ANI

Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh): In a show of protest against movie 'Padmavati', the members of Kshatriya Mahasabha on Sunday burnt effigies of the movie's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actress Deepika Padukone. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was also targeted in the protest. The vice president of Kshatriya Mahasabha, Thakur Yogendra Singh Rana said, "Sanjay Leela Bhansali had shown Mastani dancing on the screen in 'Bajirao Mastani'; she was also a Rajput woman. Scenes of both 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Padmavati' are against a religion and nation." Rana also issued an open warning to the moviegoers. "I am warning if the film is not banned, then those going to watch it should get their insurance done," Rana told news agency ANI. Rana suggested the film be shown to select individuals from Kshatriya community, and if they approve that it doesn't have a "lewd joke, and no outrageous dance has been performed by a queen," then the movie should be released after the approval of Kshatriya community. "Our only appeal is such scenes - if there are- should be cut, or the film should be banned from release," he added. The release date of the movie starring actors Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, has been postponed after not receiving a clearance from the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The movie was scheduled to release on December 1. The film, based on the legend of Rani Padmini, a Hindu Rajput queen, mentioned in Padmavat, an Avadhi poem written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540, has been facing protests from various groups, including Shri Rajput Karni Sena, for allegedly tampering with historical facts.