Jaipur: Unimpressed by the Censor Board’s decision to seek modifications and change the name to “Padmavat”, the Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena on Saturday demanded a complete ban on the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and threatened to vandalise theatres screening it.
“We will station our people outside cinema theatres and each hall showing the film will be vandalised,” declared Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, president Shree Rajput Karni Sena, at a press conference here.
He said that despite objections from the review committee members, the Censor Board had taken the decision to screen the film “because of underworld pressure”.
“If there is any loss of property following the release of the film, the government would be responsible,” he warned.
The Karni Sena’s stand comes as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) decided to give a U/A certificate “along with some modifications” to “Padmavati” and has asked the filmmaker to “likely” change the movie’s title to “Padmavat”.
“If the government really wants to change the name of the film, let it name the movie as ‘Gaddar Allaudin Khilji’ and all scenes related to Padmavati should be removed from it,” Yogendra Singh Katar, Vice President, Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena said.
“We will not allow the film to be released in any case,” he said, adding, “If it is released, we will follow the principle of Rajputs to sacrifice our lives for the sake of our honour.”
A review committee was formed recently with six members. The CBFC has included Sriji Arvind Singh Mewar as one of its members. However, Karni Sena members claim that the real family members of Queen Padmavati of Chittor were Mahendra Singh Mewar, and have demanded that he or his son Vishvaraj Singh Mewar should be members of the committee.
“Let the committee members include Mahendra Singh Mewar and let him decide what he has to say. Even if he agrees for the release of the film, we will demand naming of the film as ‘Gaddar Aladdin Khilji’,” Katar said.