Bhopal: A BJP leader Akhilesh Kandelwal from Madhya Pradesh has reportedly offered Rs 10,000 to anyone who slaps Sanjay Leela Bhansali with a shoe.
He was quoted saying: “They (such film personalities) are trying to distort our history to show us in poor light in public. We can no more remain silent. We consider it our responsibility to rein in such forces.”
He also reportedly told the media that he had no regrets for announcing the reward as he alleged that the filmmaker was trying to “distort history”. He also added that it was his “responsibility to rein in such forces”.
The opposition leaders demanded an action against the “provocative” post. A Congress spokesman said. “The saffron leaders have taken up the role of moral police.”
After the Rajput Karni Sena activists vandalized the sets of Bhansali movie and slapped him. Many Bollywood stars condemned the attack.Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Shahid Kapoor came out in support of Bhansali. Shahid in a tweet said that his only regret was that he couldn’t be by SLB’s side when this happened.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali called off the shoot immediately after the incident and also clarified that there is no objectionable scene between the characters of Rani Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji.
He also issued an official statement on his behalf, which read, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali has shot two films in Jaipur and despite his love for Rajasthan, for the safety of his crew, we have decided to leave the city post the shocking incident where miscreants damaged property and misbehaved with the crew on the shoot of ‘Padmavati’.”
“SLB had directed the opera ‘Padmavati’ to packed houses in Paris and earned worldwide praise for it. He was inspired by the beautiful and courageous queen and is making a feature film on the story.”
“We clarify that there is no dream sequence or any objectionable scene between Rani Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji. We have been carefully researching and making the film… The attack on the shoot and crew was uncalled for and was extremely damaging to the image of the beautiful city of Jaipur,” the statement added.