Hearing a petition filed by a lawyer ML Sharma, the Supreme Court has refused to stay the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati. Since the CBFC is yet to clear the film, the top court said it will amount to 'prejudgement' if the release is stalled now.
Earlier today, lashing out at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Ms Azmi in a press statement said
Ms Raje was 'sitting pretty' on the issue. Filmmaker Shyam Benegal questioned the CBFC on its decision to send back the film and
termed its actions as 'suspicious'.
In light of increasing protests, Viacom18, the producers of Padmavati have deferred the film's release. The film was slated to be released on December 1.
Here are the highlights of the deferral of Padmavati's release:
Kamal Haasan weighs in on Padmavati controversyKamal Haasan
took to Twitter to talk about Padmavati. In a tweet, he said extremism is deplorable and that he wanted Deepika Padukone's head "saved".
In a tweet, Kamal Haasan said, "I want Ms.Deepika's head.. saved. Respect it more than her body.Even more her freedom. Do not deny her that.Many communities have apposed my films.Extremism in any debate is deplorable. Wake up cerebral India.Time to think. We've said enough. Listen Ma Bharat."
Karni Sena activists create ruckus outside Madhya Pradesh theatre"Karni Sena members created ruckus after the trailer of 'Padmavati' was shown in the middle of a movie through satellite last night," said Dharmendra Jain, owner of Virendra Talkies, which is in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh.
He said
police personnel brought the situation under control soon after they were informed about the protest.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje says won't allow Padmavati to run without necessary changes
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that Padmavati will not be allowed to run in Rajasthan without the necessary changes.
She said the state's primary responsibility is to maintain law and order.
She had suggested that the film be vetted by a committee of historians and people from the community.
CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi addressed the media at the International Film Festival of India near Panaji, Goa and spoke of having a 'dialogue on the issue', reported news agency IANS.
Shahid Kapoor, who plays Maharawal Ratan Singh in the controversial film, said stalling the release would set a precedent that he won't be proud of, reported the news agency.
According to a report by news agency IANS, senior National Conference leader and MLA Devender Rana has urged Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to ban the release of 'Padmavati' in Jammu and Kashmir, whenever it gets the go-ahead from CBFC.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urges Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar to act against protesters who have threatened Deepika Padukone, reported news agency PTI. Mr Siddaramaiah has also said that security will be beefed up for Deepika PAdukone and her family in Bengaluru.
National Commission for Women writes to Haryana DGP requesting investigation and action on BJP leader Suraj Pal Amu's bounty statement.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh joins the protest against Padmavati, says 'distortion of history' won't be accepted.
Why Send Back Film, Shyam Benegal Asks Censor Board Over Padmavati ReviewNational Award winner and Padma Bhushan awardee Shyam Benegal questioned the CBFC decision to send back the film. Speaking to news agency IANS, Mr Benegal said, "I must say the CBFC is behaving very strangely in the matter of Padmavati. If the film didn't carry a disclaimer it could easily be corrected. Why send the film back? Again it seems very suspicious."
Based on an epic poem by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, the film tells the story of Padmavati, the queen of the Rajput warrior clan who set herself of fire to avoid being taken captive by Mughal conqueror AlauDDin Khilji, who was infatuated with her beauty.
The BJP's Anil jain, a senior leader from Haryana, said that though the ruling party is not in favour of the film being released, it does not support the sort of threat issued by Suraj Pal.
Suraj Pal of the BJP made the offer yesterday, adding to the threats of violence made by the Karni Sena, a Rajput group, which says the movie distorts history and is offensive in its portrayal of Rajput queen Padmini. Several senior union ministers have argued against the film, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has asked that it not be released without deleting the scenes declared offensive by groups like the Karni Sena.
Viacom18, the producers of Padmavati, have said they will announce the revised released date of the film "in due course", after obtaining the requisite clearances.
The BJP official Suraj Pal Amu said he wanted to congratulate the youth of Meerut for announcing the bounty for beheading the Padmavati actress and director, according to news agency ANI. Apart from doubling the bounty, he also allegedly said that he will take care of the family needs of those who will behead Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
For details on updates on protests over Padmavati's release, click
here