Padmaavat row: Ex-Mewar royal questions CBFC, Sanjay Bhansali motives

The erstwhile royal family of Mewar, that is the direct descendant of Padmavati, has raised questions about the certification process of the film Padmaavat and also the ethics of its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Vishvaraj Singh, son of erstwhile king Mahendra Singh has also questioned the rationale of Bhansali in extending an invitation to him to preview the film. Singh has also written to the Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Rajasthan and raised several pertinent points.

Speaking to DNA  Vishvaraj Singh said,“The present situation and crisis could have been averted had timely notice been taken of the conduct of firstly the filmmaker and then the CBFC.”

Singh came down heavily on the CBFC and raised several issues, “Why action was not taken by CBFC against makers for selective screening and public review before they got a certificate? Why CBFC took no action for announcing a release that was days after they submitted their application for certification? Did CBFC ask anyone familiar with the poem Padmavat to see the film and verify the claims of the maker.” 

“Most importantly, CBFC invited a panel to view the film and later showed it to a smaller panel. Even though the panel objected to releasing the film, CBFC certified it the same day. And why were historians in the panel, if it was fiction?” questioned Vishvaraj Singh.

When asked if he would preview the film, Singh said, “Am I supposed to say it is fine to make a fictional story on my family? Why should I go and see the film? Does it serve a purpose? If I see it and find there is something glaringly wrong will my opinion make a change? And if it is not history then what is my connection to it? Why should I go to see it?”     

Singh flayed Bhansali and questioned his ethics “I cannot be sure what lengths Bhansali can go to for his movie. In India, he is claiming it is fiction to get a certificate, but he applied for certification in the UK as a historical film. So what is the film; history or fantasy?” asked Singh.

“Earlier when he had claimed it was on Padmini, he did not take permission from the descendants of Maharaval Ratan Singh and Maharani Padmavati and now that he has claimed it is based on Jayasi’s creation, then has permission to use and adapt his work been taken from the poet’s descendants?” said Singh. 

Maharaval Ratan Singh said he has raised all these issues in a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.