Karni Sena calls for janata curfew against 'Padmavat' release

New Delhi: The Shree Rajput Karni Sena on Wednesday asserted that it will not reach a compromise with the makers of "Padmavat", and called for a "janata curfew" whenever the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial is released.

Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi, who is leading the protest against the movie, told media persons here, "We needed one small clarification that time that there will be nothing between Alauddin Khilji and Padmavati... We would have been content with it, but now we will not compromise in any way."

He also called for a "janata curfew" when the movie is released.

The Rajput outfit had first expressed concern after Ranveer Singh -- one of the three lead actors of the movie -- made a casual statement back in July 2016. He was reportedly asked if he was playing the role of a villain in the film, and he had said that he could go two notches beyond playing the role of a villain if he was given two intimate scenes with the film's leading lady Deepika Padukone.

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This led to the question whether the movie showcases any intimacy between Khilji and Rani Padmavati. Subsequently, activists of Karni Sena even assaulted Bhansali on the film's set in Jaipur and another set in Kolhapur was vandalised.

Bhansali and Viacom18 Pictures have been facing numerous hurdles in releasing the movie which, the director has said, is based on 16th century Indian sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi's epic poem "Padmavat".

The censor board gave it the green signal with a U/A certification in consultation with a three-member advisory panel.

Dismissing it as hogwash, Kalvi questioned why it was shown to three people when there was talk about having a nine-member panel.

He said while the Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh governments have decided against the movie's release, he is expecting other states to follow suit.

"I believe Telangana, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh will also make some announcement in a few days," Kalvi said, insisting that the movie should not be released in theatres as it twists and turns history.