Padmavati row: Ministry seeks list of historians to vet Deepika-starrer film

A group of historians might decide the fate of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial film Padmavati, which has been in the eye of a storm over the alleged misrepresentation of a 14th century Rajput queen.

The makers of Padmavati have put off the release of the film after a wave of protests from multiple Rajput groups and dire threats to lead actors Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and director Bhansali.

The film was cleared for viewership by the censor board in UK, but is yet to get a certification from the CBFC.

The nformation and broadcasting (I&B) ministry has written to the ministry of human resource development to provide a list of historians who can watch and vet the contents of the film, said sources. The Ccentral board of film certification (CBFC) that is yet to watch the film had asked the I&B ministry to help organise a group of historians who could assess the content of the films to ascertain whether the filmmaker has ‘tampered with history’.

On November 30, CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi had submitted before a parliamentary panel that the film would not be released before its content was cleared by historians. Bhansali, who also deposed before the committee, said the movie was based on a ‘fictional’ theme.

Both Joshi and Bhansali had appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on information and technology and the Petitions Committee of the Lok Sabha after MPs raised the issue of the film hurting sentiments of the Rajput community and demanded a ban on its release. Some BJP MPs and Rajput groups such as the Karni Sena have accused Bhansali of ‘distorting’ history.