The creation of historical dramas is becoming increasingly popular in Bollywood, as it has the potential to be rewarding for everyone involved. Typically, these kinds of movies are large scale and require a theater-going experience, which usually results in strong ticket sales. Unfortunately, this type of production can often be associated with various difficulties. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018) encountered numerous obstacles when trying to release in some regions, leaving a lasting impression on recent memory.
The recently released period movie Panipat sparked a flurry of protests in Rajasthan as soon as it premiered last week. People were angry at the inaccurate depiction of Maharaja Surajmal and his language, along with a scene portraying him as an avaricious ruler. In the second half, he asked for Agra Fort before offering any assistance against the Afghans – this led Sadashivrao Bhau (Arjun Kapoor) to reject the offer and left Marathas helpless. The protestors expressed their fury by burning an effigy of director-producer Ashutosh Gowariker. Following this event, several locations in Rajasthan stopped screening the movie.
With no alternative, the filmmakers opted to delete scenes that sparked outrage from protestors. Consequently, they presented the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a reworked cut lasting 162 minutes, eleven minutes less than before. After passing it, theaters across the nation were informed to start showing the new version beginning Friday, December 13th. The updated censor certificate has been sent to major multiplexes for display on said date.
Rajasthan was previously up in arms about Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2008 movie, Jodhaa Akbar, for its purportedly false representations of history. This triggered immense backlash and the film could not be screened in the desert state or several other areas.
