Anurag Kashyap has repeatedly spoken on the Padmavati row and the people responsible for it. (File)
The release date of Padmavati - with some cuts and a change in title -- finalized, film-maker Anurag Kashyap today let loose another volley of acerbic comments that took apart those who started the row. History, he said, should be "drafted" like the Constitution by those who object to other versions of it.
Though "Padmavat" -- as the revised title goes - has been cleared by the Censor board and some former royals of Rajasthan, the film will not be screened in the state, where Rajput groups have been on the warpath for months.
The anti-Padmavati groups contend that the film distorts history and tarnishes the image of the legendary Queen of Chittor, even though its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali said it was based on a literary work by a 16th Century poet, Malik Muhammad Jayasi.
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"History has many versions," Mr Kashyap told NDTV today. "So now, like the constitution, why don't they draft their version of history according to which we can make films? My point is where is that one correct version of history? All versions of history contradict each other it should be up to the filmmaker to pick and choose what he wants," he added.
The contention over historic movies is why he is "weary" about the idea, said Mr Kashyap, who is known for his Gangs of Wasseypur series and Raman Raghav 2.0. The film-maker has repeatedly spoken on the Padmavati row and the people responsible for it.
"I am a Rajput. Rajputs don't have any correct version of history. They don't know what to stand up for, who to stand up for," he said today.
Queen Padmini, who was said to have immolated herself to escape falling into the clutches of the invading forces of Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji, a man obsessed with her, is looked upon as an icon by the Rajput community.