Indian Supreme Court paves way for countrywide release of ‘Padmaavat’
January 18, 2018
The Indian Supreme Court on Thursday lifted the ban on the highly anticipated epic ‘Padmaavat’ in four states, paving way for its all-India release on January 25.
The controversial movie, which stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, was banned in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, prompting its makers to move the top court against the ban.
Giving its green signal to the movie, the Supreme Court said that the decision of the states violated Article 21, which guarantees personal liberty. The court added that it was the duty of the state to provide security to all those persons who are going to watch the film.
Padmaavat is based on the poem Padmavat, written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the 15th century. The ballad narrates the tale of the beautiful Rani Padmini of Chittor (played by Deepika) and Turkish invader Alauddin Khilji's (Ranveer) pursuit of her. The film angered many after the Shree Rajput Karni Sena alleged it distorted historical facts related to the Rajput community.
Controversial Haryana BJP leader Suraj Pal Amu, who had quit as party's chief media coordinator in November, had led protests against the film and even offered 10 crore as "reward to behead" Bhansali and the film's lead actor Deepika Padukone.
Padmaavat was earlier slated for release on December 1, but the studio had to defer it amid the controversy the film stirred up in sections of the country.
