West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday tweeted her support for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Padmavati, and without naming names, said the controversy surrounding it was a "calculated plan" of a political party to destroy freedom of expression.
Her statement came a few hours after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh officially voiced his support for the groups that are opposing Padmavati’s release, saying that no one should be allowed to distort history.
The Padmavati controversy is not only unfortunate but also a calculated plan of a political party to destroy the freedom to express ourselves.Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
She added that the West Bengal government ‘condemned’ the 'super emergency’ and urged the film industry to unite and protest against those opposing it.
Banerjee’s statement seems to come in response to a complaint made by an organisation of Kshatriyas in West Bengal, who demanded the removal of the ghoomar dance and some other scenes from the film, calling them “objectionable”, reports News18.
Earlier, the Bharat Kshastriya Samaj Trust in Bengal had also claimed that the film contained a scene where Alauddin Khilji was allegedly romancing the Rajput queen. Several other organisations and journalists have made that claim as well, but Bhansali has denied these accusations.
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Banerjee’s support comes at a crucial time, when most of the other political leaders have directly or indirectly extended their support to the protesters against the film. In light of the controversy surrounding it, Viacom18 on Sunday announced that it has pushed back the release date of the film, which was supposed to be on 1 December.
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(With inputs from News18.)
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