Bihar
Chief
Minister
Nitish
Kumar
today
said
a
large
section
of
the
society
felt
that
Rajput
queen
Padmini
was
"denigrated" in
the
yet-to-be-released
film
Padmavati
and
that
those
associated
with
the
Bollywood
flick
should
come
up
with
"an
explanation
that
lends
clarity".
Kumar,
who
had
last
week
said
he
was
not
in
favour
of
the
film
being
released
until
the
controversy
surrounding
it
was
resolved,
was
responding
to
queries
on
whether
his
government
was
in
favour
of
banning
the
film.
"A
large
section
of
the
society
feels
that
a
respected
historical
figure
has
been
denigrated
in
the
movie,
though
nobody
has
watched
it.
The
onus
is
on
the
makers
of
the
film
--
its
producer,
director
and
others
--
to
come
out
with
a
public
statement
on
the
issue.
They
must
come
up
with
an
explanation
that
lends
clarity
to
the
issue," Kumar
told
reporters
on
the
sidelines
of
his
weekly
"Lok
Samvad"
programme.
"As
of
now,
the
film
has
not
even
been
cleared
by
the
censor
board.
So,
the
question
of
imposing
a
ban
is
premature.
But
I
still
feel
that
the
makers
of
the
film
must
come
up
with
a
convincing
explanation
if
they
want
the
film,
which
is
a
fruit
of
their
efforts,
to
reach
the
people," Kumar
said.
Directed
by
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali
and
featuring
Deepika
Padukone,
Shahid
Kapoor
and
Ranveer
Singh
in
the
lead
roles,
"Padmavati" is
said
to
be
based
on
medieval-era
poet
Malik
Muhammad
Jayasi's
epic
of
the
same
name.
The
film
has
left
the
political
establishment
in
the
country
sharply
divided.
While
the
BJP
has
favoured
an
outright
ban
on
the
film,
pointing
towards
the
vociferous
demands
for
it
from
the
Rajput
community,
the
Congress
and
the
Trinamool
Congress
(TMC)
have
opposed
any
such
move.
With
PTI
inputs.