Richa Shukla (BOMBAY TIMES; March 17, 2020)

Filmmaker Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s historical drama, titled Prithviraj, has come on the radar of Sri Rajput Karni Sena. Dwivedi is currently shooting for the film in Jaipur’s outskirts. Akshay Kumar is playing the lead role in the movie, which is based on the famous Rajput warrior Prithviraj Chauhan. Akshay shot few scenes before Holi and returned to Mumbai.

The shooting, which is currently taking place in Gopalgarh village in Jamwa Ramgarh tehsil near Jaipur, came to a halt when more than 100 members of Karni Sena reached the set on Saturday afternoon. They were led by Mahipal Singh Makrana, national president of the outfit. Makrana met Dwivedi and demanded to read the script of the film, threatening to stop the shoot otherwise.

Makrana says, “We went to meet Dwivedi to ensure that they don’t put our warrior in a bad light. We don’t want to vandalise the set or cause harm to anyone. We want the makers to share the script with us. We have a panel of experts and historians who will go through the script before the film is shot. Until we are satisfied we will not let the shooting happen — neither in Rajasthan nor in any part of the country. We want to ensure that the makers don’t distort facts for the purpose of entertainment. Dwivedi has assured us (of cooperation) and we will contact them in a day or two.” Though the shooting was stopped for a while, it later resumed.

THE TIMES OF INDIA (November 19, 2017)

Jaipur: As protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ gain momentum, Vasundhara Raje on Saturday became the first chief minister to come out openly against the film, writing to information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani asking that the movie not be released without the changes demanded by the “aggrieved community” being made.

The Rajput community has been demanding that the film be banned, claiming that it is a distortion of history and portrays Rani Padmini in poor light. Sri Rajput Karni Sena, which has been spearheading protests against the film, has warned that it will not allow its release. SRKS chief Mahipal Singh Makrana even threatened to maim actor Deepika Padukone, if she “continues to provoke protesters”.

Several BJP functionaries, including Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari, have expressed reservations about ‘Padmavati’.

Raje seeks expert panel to review film

However, Raje is the first CM to back the Rajput community in its demands on ‘Padmavati’. In her letter to Smriti Irani, she said that it should be ensured that the film does not hurt the sentiments of the Rajput community.

A statement released by the chief minister’s office said Raje had told the I&B minister that the censor board should consider all possible consequences before giving a certificate to the film. “She has suggested constituting a committee, which includes expert historians, film personalities and representatives from the (Rajput) community. She said it should sit and discuss the screenplay of the film. Thereafter, suitable changes should be made to ensure that the film does not hurt the sentiments of society as a whole,” the CMO statement said.

Raje has said that while filmmakers do have the right to make a film as per their wisdom, the Constitution also has provisions to curb a right if it poses a threat to the law and order situation or hurts the morality or public sentiments of a community. “Hence, there is a need to review the film,” the CMO statement quoted the Rajasthan CM as having said.

While most of her ministers have already spoken in favour of reviewing the film before it is released, this is the first time that the Rajasthan CM has taken a stand over the controversy. A delegation from Mewar, which met the chief minister on Saturday, thanked her for the gesture.