Members of Karni Sena were detained by Mumbai police after they ‘gheraoed’ the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) office on Friday to protest against the coming release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmaavat”.

Members of the Rajput outfit, under the leadership of Sukhdev Singh Gogameri, gathered outside the CBFC office to express dissent over the censor board’s decision to allow the release of the controversial movie.

Virendra Singh, the spokesperson of Karni Sena, said that members from the outfit and even other Rajput associations assembled here to protest.

Jeevan Singh Solanki, a Karni Sena member, said: “We will not let the film release in the country under any circumstances. Some states have already agreed with us and therefore banned it. We want the film to be banned in the whole country.

“We will not stop here. We are going to urge our Prime Minister to ban the film because the movie will ruin the heritage and culture of Rajput community. The filmmaker has played with the sentiments of the Rajputs,” Solanki added.

Asked if they were ready to watch the film pre-release to clear their doubts, Solanki said: “The whole projection of our community is wrong. We do not want to see the film. It should be banned.”

The film, cleared by the CBFC after five modifications and renamed from “Padmavati” to “Padmavat” and now titled “Padmaavat”, is scheduled to release on January 25 across India. The film will, however, not be released in Rajasthan.

CBFC gave it the green signal with a U/A certification in consultation with a three-member advisory panel.

Cuts controversy

Earlier the makers of the film had said that there are no 300 cuts in Padmaavat.

“We appreciate the balanced and considered approach that the CBFC has taken to address this situation,” a company spokesperson from Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd said.

The clarification follows Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Prasoon Joshi’s statement that no more than five modifications have been suggested to the makers for the film to get U/A certificate.

Also read: Parrikar gives green signal to ‘Padmavat’ release in Goa

Ranveer’s statement

The Rajput outfit had first expressed concern after Ranveer Singh — one of the three lead actors of the movie — made a casual statement back in July 2016.

Ranveer was reportedly asked if he was playing the role of a villain in the film, and he had said that he could go two notches beyond playing the role of a villain if he was given two intimate scenes with the film’s leading lady Deepika Padukone.

This led to the question whether the movie showcases any intimacy between Khilji and Rani Padmavati. Subsequently, Karni Sena activists assaulted Bhansali on the film’s set in Jaipur and another set in Kolhapur was vandalised.

They even threatened Deepika and Bhansali.

(With agency inputs)