Padmavati may not release until March or April 2018

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Padmavati was initially scheduled to release on December 1 but protests from various Rajput groups caused the film to be indefinitely postponed.

Last month, the filmmakers pushed the release date following threats to the film's lead cast, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and director Bhansali. "We will announce the revised release date of the film in due course," the studio behind the film said.

Mumbai Mirror is now reporting that the movie may not hit screens until March/April!

The Central Board of Film Certification is likely to appoint a panel of historians to watch the film, as per sources as the makers of the film have stated that Padmavati is "partially based on historical facts".

A source at the censor board anonymously shared, "The makers of Padmavati had unnecessarily complicated its case with an ambiguous disclaimer in its application for certification which stated that the film was partially based on historical facts. The content will now have to be scrutinised for authenticity."

The flick had earlier been sent back to the producers after it was discovered that the column for stating whether it was a work of fiction or was based on historical facts was left blank.

The source in the CBFC also said that Padmavati could only be certified in January since December is now nearly over: "We have not scheduled the film. There are at least 40 feature films in different languages waiting in the queue before Padmavati," the source revealed.

Many members of the Board are reportedly on leave. "Forget about appointing a panel of historians, we don't even have a normal Examining Committee to view all the films," added the source.

"Even by conservative estimates, the film won't be certified before the second week of January. I don't think they can release the film before March or April. This estimate is applicable if the CBFC clears the film without any objection."