‘Padmavati’ director, censor board chief appear before House panel

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, November 30

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, director of Hindi film ‘Padmavati’, today appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology to share his views on the controversy surrounding his film.

Meanwhile, Central Board of Film Certification chief Prasoon Joshi earlier told the Lok Sabha Committee on Petitions that the film had not yet been approved and that the censor board had only cleared the trailer and promos of the period film.

Asked by a member whether he — as the censor board chief — had seen the film, Joshi is learnt to have replied in the negative.

Sources said Bhansali received an earful for showing the film to a group of senior journalists without proper clearance. At the same time, he stuck to his guns that he had not distorted any historical facts or hurt the sentiments of the Rajput community.

This is a rare time in parliamentary history that a committee has decided to delve into such an issue (many also read political reasons behind the move). The panel, which also looks into issues of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, had called the meeting to discuss the problems and issues faced by the film.

Headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, the IT panel includes senior BJP leader LK Advani and film actor Raj Babbar, a Congress leader.

Various Rajput groups and political leaders have accused Bhansali of distorting history in the movie by using a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini and Sultan Alauddin Khilji. Bhansali has denied the allegation.

The Lok Sabha Committee on Petitions had sought a report from the I&B Ministry and the censor board after two BJP MPs from Rajasthan CP Joshi and Om Birla filed a plea on “objectionable content” in the film before the panel. Sources said the officials were of the view that controversies are often created for commercial purposes though it was not clear in this case.

The panel had asked the officials for a report before November 30, senior BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who heads the panel, had said earlier.

Meanwhile, according to Thakur, the “movie had become a matter of grave concern for all people related, and rather unrelated too, given the prevailing tense atmosphere across the country.”