Vandalism against my film deeply pains me: Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Padmavati controversy

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Padmavati has proved to be a challenging production.

The period drama, which is based on a fictionalized account of the legendary Rani Padmini's life, has elicited a strong reaction from certain parties who believe that the film will tarnish the queen's image.

The director, who has suffered assault and destruction of his sets, has finally spoken up about the "too many misconceptions and misunderstandings surrounding my film".

According to Bhansali, "Padmavati is a film about a revered Rajput Queen and her valiant fight for honour and dignity. It's a film that every Indian will be proud of."

Rumours said that the film features scenes where Rani would be shown having an affair with Alauddin Khilji or would be a dream sequence where Alauddin would sexually fantasise about the Rani.

However, Bhansali insists that "My team and I have carefully researched every aspect of information available on Rani Padmavati for making the film. There was never any alleged romantic scene, dream sequence or imaginary song between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji in the script. I repeat, there NEVER was and NOR is there any such scene between Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji."

About the cases of vandalism, Bhansali says, "While we have clarified this multiple times across various media platforms, the vandalism against the film deeply pains me. This violence is unjustified and not acceptable as it is merely based on hearsay, allegations and accusations, and not on facts. As an artist, I too believe in the freedom of expression, but I'm also aware of the responsibility that comes along with this freedom. We do not intend to hurt the sentiments of any community and can confidently say that Mewar will be proud of the film."

The filmmaker also said he has has taken action.

"My team and I have met with some of the Rajput leaders, who, upon receipt of our clarification, have agreed to support us and have also signed our letter and promised cooperation in support of the making of the film. I hope this puts to rest all the misconceptions regarding the film. I take this opportunity to thank the film fraternity and the media, who have constantly spoken in support of the film and protested against any kind of violence/vandalism against artists and their freedom to express."

Let's hope this puts the controversies surrounding Padmavati to rest. The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, is slated for release by the end of this year.