Karni Sena threatens to burn down UK theatre if it screens Padmavati

Mumbai: After news broke that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has certified Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ and cleared it for release in the UK, the Karni Sena has come forward to issue further threats, claiming that they’d burn down any theatre that screens the film, even if it’s in the UK.

“Har wo theatre jalega, jahan Padmavati ka show chalega (Every theatre screening Padmavti will be burnt),” Republic TV quoted Sukhdev Singh, a leader of the fringe outfit, as saying.

Further adding on the issue, he said, “I myself wanted to go there to protest but the Indian government has confiscated my passport, so I will ask the Rajput community there to protest.”

The BBFC tweeted the certification, informing that the film will release on December 1, as slated to previously.

The film's producers, however, have clarified they will wait for a clearance from the CBFC in India before the film releases worldwide.

Earlier, Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi had claimed that he is a descendant of Rani Padmini.

The film, starring Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmini, Shahid Kapoor as Maharana Rawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji, was initially slated to release on December 01.

Despite repeated attempts on the part of the makers to clear the air and pacify rising protesters, fringe groups have been undeterred, with some declaring bounties to behead the director and lead actress Deepika.

The film, which had also failed to submit itself for certification on time, had eventually been indefinitely postponed domestically. Speculations have also been rife that it might see the light of the day only in February, 2018.

The Gujarat government, fresh on the boots of a domestic poll has also banned the release of the movie in the state.