New Delhi: In a startling revelation, actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada said on Saturday that the character of Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who is a loathsome antagonist in Sanjay Leela Bhansal’s movie Padmaavat, reminded her of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan. Speaking to news agency ANI, Jaya Prada, who is a former MP from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, alleged that Khan had “harassed” her when she was contesting for the elections.
She said, “When I was watching ‘Padmaavat’ , Khilji’s character reminded me of Azam Khan ji, how he had harassed me during elections when I was contesting.”
When I was watching #Padmaavat , Khilji's character reminded me of Azam Khan ji, how he had harassed me during elections when I was contesting: Jaya Prada pic.twitter.com/NVRi59aK8A
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2018
The apparent rivalry between Jaya Prada and Azam Khan dates back several years. In 2009, Azam Khan supporters openly campaigned against the party candidate, Jaya Prada. In the same year, she had accused Khan of circulating ‘vulgar’ material pertaining to her in a bid to ‘tarnish’ her image. Eventually, she won the elections in 2009 but with a reduced margin. Three years later, Jaya Prada publicly vowed to “destroy” the “arrogance” of Azam Khan.
Meanwhile, Ranveer Singh starred as the ruthless Khilji in Bhansali’s period drama Padmavat. The movie, starring Deepika Padukone in the lead role along with Shahid Kapoor, was mired in a controversy ahead of its release as several Rajput groups objected to the content of the film and staged violent protests across several states in a bid to ban the movie. The film was finally released on January 25.
(WIth ANI inputs)