New Delhi: Pakistan censor board has cleared Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic drama ‘Padmaavat’ without any excision, reported the IANS.
“Padmaavat’ has been declared fit for public exhibition in the cinema houses without any excision by Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC),” Mobashir Hasan told IANS via social media from Islamabad.
The film has been given ‘U’ certification.
There were some apprehensions as distributors were worried about the negative portrayal of Alauddin Khilji, but the board said that there should be no bias in arts.
“CBFC isn’t biased in arts, creativity and healthy entertainment.”
He said that for the film’s certification, the CBFC co-opted Professor Waqar Ali Shah, Chairman, Department of History, Quaid-e-Azam University as per rules.
“A co-opted member has no voting rights. They are for expert opinion,” Hasan explained.
“Padmaavat” is set for a worldwide release on Thursday.
Satish Reddy, Chairman, Eveready Group of Companies, a key film distributor in Pakistan, told IANS that “Padmaavat” should have a “very strong” response in its first week.
On the contrary, back home in India, the makers of the film faced a long struggle as Rajput outfits have been up against its release over alleged historical inaccuracies.
Shri Rajput Karni Sena activists have been staging violent protests across some parts of the country to stop the film’s release.
Originally titled “Padmavati”, the movie’s makers were asked to make five modifications — including title change, addition of two disclaimers, and some alterations in a song — before it got a U/A certificate.
