Padmavat to stay off Gujarat screens

While the owners of theatres and multiplexes in Gujarat have decided against exhibiting the movie following threats of disruption from outfits such as the Rajput Karni Sena, the Rajasthan government has made a decision to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against its stay on the ban against its release. "We are not prepared to bear any loss", said Rakesh Patel, director of Gujarat Multiplex Association.

In the past, multiplexes in the state have refrained from screening movies, such as the Aamir Khan-starrer Fanna and the Ravindra Dholakia-directed Parzania, over controversies surrounding them at the time of their release.

Other multiplex owners will take their own decision as the Association has not taken any collective decision on the issue, Patel said.

The Supreme Court has stayed the orders/ notifications issued by the Rajasthan and Gujarat governments prohibiting the screening of "Padmaavat". Everyone is scared, No multiplex wants to bear the loss.

"There appears to be some misunderstanding, so false news claiming it would not be screened in any of the multiplexes in the state has begun doing rounds", he said.

According to police, there are around 10 groups, including Rajput Karni Sena, which have threatened violence if the movie is shown anywhere in the State.

Karni Sena and others have formed an umbrella of Gujarat Kshatriya Samaj, which warned against the release of Padmaavat. On Saturday, these fringe groups allegedly blocked highways by burning tyres in Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, and Banaskantha districts. The number of groups and those supporting them to stop Padmaavat's release are only adding up by each day. Protests and threats against the movie by fringe outfits like Karni Sena, however, continued. The Karni Sena that led protests against the film asserted it would not allow Padmaavat to be screened. Padmaavat is all set to be released on January 25, and after witnessing so many protests, nobody knows what else is waiting for the makers of the movie. However, it has failed to pacify certain groups opposing the movie's content.