Padmavati controversy: Sanjay Leela Bhansali appears before Parliamentary panel

The 30-member panel has also asked producers of the movie and officials of the information and broadcasting ministry to appear before it

Padmavati movie director Sanjay Leela Bhansali appeared before the parliamentary panel to brief members about the controversy over the movie. He was summoned by Joint Parliamentary Panel.

Censor board Chairman Prasoon Joshi appeared before a parliamentary panel to brief members about the controversy over "Padmavati" and said the film had not yet been approved. Joshi, who is also scheduled to appear before the parliamentary standing committee on Income Tax later today, told the Lok Sabha Committee on Petitions that the censor board had only cleared the trailer and promos of the period film, reported PTI.

The 30-member panel has also asked producers of the movie and officials of the information and broadcasting ministry to appear before it and brief about the controversy relating to the Rs. 150 crore film. Actors Paresh Rawal and Raj Babbar are also part of the panel which will examine the issues relating to the movie.

The film starring Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji were earlier scheduled to release on December 1. The makers of the film will announce a revised date after clearance from the CBFC.

The film Padmavati tells the story of a 14th-Century Hindu queen belonging to the high Rajput caste and the Muslim ruler Alauddin Khilji. Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh play the lead roles in the movie. Rumours of a scene in the film of the Muslim king dreaming of getting romantic with the Hindu queen enraged many like the Rajput Karnik Sena, a fringe caste group, who has called for the film to be banned.

(With agency inputs)