Women’s group stages protest against Padmavati, burns Bhansali’s effigy in Varanasi

A women group on Sunday staged a protest against director Sanjay Leela Bhansali ’s upcoming film, Padmavati, in Varanasi, alleging the period drama distorted historical facts.

The protest comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh government assured to provide full security to theatres in the state for safe screening of the movie, starring Deepika Padukone , Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor .

Yogi Adityanath government was determined not to let anyone disrupt the screening of the movie following the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant a stay on its screening, government spokesperson and state health minister Sidharth Nath Singh told media persons in Allahabad on Saturday.

The movie is slated for release on December 1.

Holding rolling pins, around 40 protesters under the banner of the International Kshatriya Veerangana Mahasabha, an organisation representing Rajput women, also burnt Bhansali’s effigy at Lahurabeer intersection of the city.

Leading the protests activist Vandana Raguvanshi alleged that Bhansali distorted facts to “make good profits”, and threatened to hold demonstrations at cinema halls if the movie is screened.

Despite the director clarifying there is no romantic or objectionable scenes between Padmavati and Khilji, the movie continues to face flak from various communal groups such as Shree Rajput Karni Sena, particularly in Rajasthan.

Bhansali was attacked and film’s sets were vandalised during the shooting of the film in January this year in Jaipur.

The SC on Friday dismissed a petition seeking a ban on the film’s release.