Despite widespread protests against "Padmaavat", the period drama remains steady at the box office with no signs of slowing down. According to Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the film opened to select paid previews across the country on January 24 and collected five crore rupees. The film, which is based on the 16th century epic, "Padmavat" by poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi, got mired in controversy after various Rajput groups accused director Sanjay Leela Bhansali of "distorting historical facts", a claim repeatedly denied by him. Historians are divided on whether Padmavati actually existed. On its opening day, January 25, the film minted Rs 19 crore and went on to rake in Rs 32 crore on January 26 and Rs 27 crore yesterday, taking the total up to Rs 83 crore. The figures come at a time when several multiplex owners in the country had shown reluctance to screen the film in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. In Gujarat and MP, even the single-screen theatres did not take chances to screen the film on the opening day.
In Goa, only a couple of single-screen theatres played the movie amid police security. The film featuring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh was released after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cleared it last month with a 'U/A' certificate and five modifications, including title change from "Padmavati" to "Padmaavat". While parts of North India saw violence owing to the release of the film, Mumbai Police maintained tight vigil outside theatres screening the film. Some policemen were also deployed inside the cinema halls to thwart any attempt to disrupt the screening, said an official. Police also tightened security at the residences of Bhansali and Padukone in the city.
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