After Jaipur setback, Bhansali plans next course of action as lead actors Ranveer, Deepika holiday abroad
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 4, 2017)

A month after the Rajput Karni Sena vandalised the set of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati in Jaipur and attacked the filmmaker for ‘distorting historical facts’, the film’s shoot is yet to resume.

Murmurs suggest the unit will come together on March 11 in Film City for another schedule with Shahid Kapoor, who plays Raja Rawal Ratan Singh. Post the release of Rangoon, Sasha is spending time with wife Mira and daughter Misha.

Members of Karni Sena had specifically objected to a dream sequence between Rani Padmini (Deepika Padukone) and Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh). However, the makers had later issued an official statement denying any scene between Padmavati and Khilji. Following Bhansali's assurance, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder of Shree Rajput Karni Sena, told mid-day, “I have personally met the director who has assured us that the film will show no intimate scenes between Ranveer and Deepika. The production house is supposed to give us a written agreement, agreeing to the demands made.”

But despite the duo finding a meeting ground, a decision on returning to the state is yet to be taken. A unit hand informs, “After the incident, we don’t know what the status is. Initially, there was talk about us returning to Rajasthan, but the final call will be taken by the producers. We might return later, but for now, we will start filming in Mumbai. Everyone is unsure about the safety of the cast and crew there. Unless we have the state’s support, we can’t go there.” Jaigarh Fort officials also confirmed that they had not received any intimation about the crew travelling to that city for another shooting stint.

Meanwhile, Ranveer aka Khilji is currently vacationing in Switzerland. He is expected to be back in Mumbai in a few days. Deepika, on the other hand, is in New York, and will return later this month. Despite repeated attempts, Bhansali, remained unavailable for comment.