On 'Padmaavat', Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Seek Supreme Court Rethink

The Rajput Karni Sena has vowed to burn theatres that screen Padmaavat. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, along with Gujarat and Haryana, have banned the film amid fierce protests by Rajput groups

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On 'Padmaavat', Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Seek Supreme Court Rethink

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmaavat will be released on Thursday

New Delhi:  Ahead of "Padmaavat's" release on Thursday after a Supreme Court order, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have petitioned the top court for a review and said that states must be allowed to stop the film on grounds of law and order trouble. Their appeal will be heard tomorrow.

They are among the four states, along with Gujarat and Haryana, which had banned the film amid fierce protests by Rajput groups.

On a petition by Padmaavat's producers, that ban was scrapped last week by the Supreme Court, which said a film cannot be blocked on account of potential trouble and that it is the job of the state government to protect people and maintain peace.

Despite the court ruling, protesters have not backed down, especially in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The Rajput Karni Sena, which has led protests against the big ticket period film, has vowed to burn theatres that screen Padmaavat. Protesters believe the film distorts history and shows Rani Padmini, a legendary Rajput Queen renowned for her beauty, in poor light.

On Sunday, thousands of women took out a 'Chetavani (warning) Rally', holding swords, in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh town threatening 'jauhar' or self-immolation a day before the film's release.

The women claim around 1,900 have "registered" for 'jauhar' - according to legend, Queen Padmini decided to commit 'jauhar', or jump into the fire, rather than submit to Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi, who was obsessed with her beauty.

The protesters began their march from the Chittorgarh Fort, the setting of the Queen Padmini story, and ended it in the town where they submitted a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Karni Sena spokesperson Vijendra Singh said, "On Sunday, we contacted around 100 cinema halls in the National Capital Region and they have given in writing that they will not screen the film."

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In Gujarat, bus services have been suspended in parts of the state - including Mehsana, Patan, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha - because of violent protests during which stones were thrown at buses.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor was cleared earlier this month by the censor board, which suggested changes. The title of the film was also changed from "Padmavati" to "Padmaavat".

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