Padmavati row: Salman Khan comes out in support of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film

Superstar Salman Khan came out in support of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmavati, saying that the film should not be judged before it is seen. The 51-year-old actor, who has collaborated with Bhansali on films such as Khamoshi, Hum Dil Chuke Sanam and Saawariya, said Bhansali is a great filmmaker.

"No decision should be made without seeing the film Padmavati. Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes lovely films and there is nothing wrong with his movies," Salman told Network 18. The actor added that only the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has the power to decide if the film is suitable for release.

Several film bodies including, Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) along with Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA), Western India Cinematographers Association (WICA), Screenwriters Association (SWA), Association of Cine and Television Art Directors and Costume Designers (ACTADCD), also came out in support of the director today and questioned the government's silence on threats by Rajput groups against the release of the film.

Bhansali has been facing trouble since he started shooting for the movie. The set of the movie was vandalised twice -- in Jaipur and Kolhapur -- and the director was roughed up by members of Karni Sena during the Jaipur schedule of the film earlier this year.

Rajput groups and some BJP members have accused Bhansali of distorting facts in the movie, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. Bhansali has already issued an appeal to clarify that there is no dream sequence between Deepika's Padmavati and Ranveer's Khilji as claimed by Rajput groups.

The film is scheduled to be released on December 1.