Padmaavat caused quite a stir but the hype didn’t do the film any major favours, While the Indian Supreme Court cleared the movie for an all-country release, Pakistan cleared Padmaavat for screening without any cuts across the country.
However, after a little over than two weeks of screening, the film sparked controversy as a petition has been filed in Lahore High Court for implementing a ban on the movie for portraying Muslims in a negative light.
The petition submitted in the Lahore High Court mentions that the role of Muslims displayed in the film shows a very wrong and negative image of Muslims and the storyline of the movie even touches the sensitivity of the religion Islam.
The petition states that the director of the movie has not only distorted the facts but has also surpassed the limits of expression and display of the film in Pakistan.
The petition also mentions and claims that the image of the Muslim ruler—Alauddin Khilji, shown in the film is also objectionable. The petition states that he has been shown as a beast in the movie, whereas the reality is pretty different.
However, the Lahore High Court has recommended the petition to the Provincial Censor Board for a decision. According to sources, the Punjab Censor Board will be reviewing the film again and in this connection, a full board meeting will be invited to review Padmaavat
On the other hand, the Pakistan Film Producer Association is criticising provincial and central censor boards on issuing a certificate to the film.
According to sources, no written order was yet received by the Punjab Censor Board and the issue came to light after the members received a letter for a full board meeting.
“A full board meeting will be held to review Padmaavat again. A decision regarding the ban will be taken after watching objectionable scenes and dialogues,” said Usman Pirzada, a senior member of Punjab Film Censor Board.
