Padmavati row: Mamata Banerjee asked the film industry to stand up for director Sanjay Leela Bhansali
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said the controversy over director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Rs 190-crore Padmavati was a "calculated plan" of a political party to destroy freedom of expression, and asked the film industry to come out in support of Mr Bhansali.
"The Padmavati controversy is not only unfortunate but also a calculated plan of a political party to destroy the freedom to express ourselves. We condemn this super emergency. All in the film industry must come together and protest in one voice," Ms Banerjee tweeted.
The makers of Padmavati yesterday deferred its release from the scheduled date, December 1, as protests and threats over the movie, which is based on an epic poem, continued. Rajput groups have alleged that Mr Bhansali has distorted facts in the film, which the director has denied.
The director was also roughed up by members of a fringe group in Jaipur and the film's sets were also vandalised during shooting in Kolhapur. The first poster of the movie was released in October after which Rajput groups started alleging that the director had "distorted" historical facts.
The film casts Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in lead roles.