Padmavati: UP group announces Rs 1 crore for ‘burning Deepika alive’

A group in Uttar Pradesh has announced an award of Rs 1 crore for anyone who would burn actress Deepika Padukone alive.

Lucknow, Nov 20: First, members of right wing groups protesting against the Bollywood film Padmavati threatened to chop off actress Deepika Padukone's nose and head. Now, a group in Uttar Pradesh wants the 31-year-old actress to be burnt alive.

In fact, several effigies of the actress, who has played the lead role of queen Padmavati in the movie, along with the director of the film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor (for taking a dig at Rajput maharajas), were burnt in different parts of the state on Sunday.

"Moradabad: Members of Kshatriya Mahasabha burnt effigies of Shashi Tharoor for his 'Maharaja' remarks & director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actress Deepika Padukone. #Padmavati" tweeted ANI.

Moradabad: Members of Kshatriya Mahasabha burnt effigies of Shashi Tharoor for his 'Maharaja' remarks & director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actress Deepika Padukone. #Padmavati pic.twitter.com/NbQuilydW0

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 19, 2017

In Bareilly, members of the Akhil Bhartiya Kshatriya Mahasabha (ABKM) burnt over a hundred effigies of Deepika at a park in the city. The protesters also shouted slogans against Deepika and Bhansali.

The group members took out a march to the collectorate office and submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate demanding a ban on the release of the movie.

ABKM's youth wing leader Bhuvneshwar Singh said, "Deepika should know how it feels like to be burnt alive. The actress will never know the sacrifice of the queen.

"Any person burning her alive will be given Rs 1 crore. We demand that office-bearers of the organisation be shown the movie before it is released."

According to the legend, queen Padmavati of Chittor, Rajasthan performed jauhar (custom of self-immolation among women to avoid capture by foreign invaders).

Asked about Singh's threatening remarks, superintendent of police Rohit Singh Sahjawan said a report had been sought in this regard. "We have sought a report from the policemen on duty. Thereafter, action will be taken," he said.

Since the making of the film, Padmavati has been facing protests over the alleged "distortion of historical facts" in the film.

In January, Bhansali was slapped by members of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena in Jaipur while they destroyed the sets of the film. The goons of the group also vandalised the sets of the film in Kolhapur, Maharashtra earlier this year.

Meanwhile, special police protection has been provided to both Deepika and Bhansali in Mumbai.

On Sunday, the makers of the film deferred the release of Padmavati as protests and threats continued over the film by various right wing groups and political parties. The film was supposed to release on December 1.

Earlier the Censor Board sent back the film to the makers without watching it citing "technical deficiencies". Thereafter, the makers of Padmavati hosted a private screening of the film for the media.

After watching the film, some of India's popular TV journalists said that the film in no way hurt Rajput pride and sentiments and needs to be released soon.

The act of the makers of Padmavati to host a private screening for journalists has irked the chief of Censor Board Prasoon Joshi.

Apart from a few actors, directors and technicians, hardly any stars from the Hindi film industry have spoken in support of the film.

OneIndia News