PADMAVAT CONTROVERSY

Controversy :

-The movie, initially named Padmavati, portraying the 13th Century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi, faced hurdles when director started planning a date for its release.

-The movie was objected by Karni Sena on the pretext of Padmaavati distorting historical facts.

-The Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking ban on the release of Padmaavati .

-The Court trusted Central Board of Film Certification(CBFC) to consider all aspects before granting a certificate to it.

-Protests against Padmavati started in many states including Rajasthan,Gujarat,U.P,Bihar and Karnataka.

-The makers delayed the release of their film after CBI returned the application for certification citing a technicality.They didn't announce the next release date.

-The Censor Board sought the opinion of erstwhile Mewar royal family and two veteran historians from Jaipur to help it certify the film.
-The committee suggested five modifications. However,it suggested the makers to change the title of Padmavat.

-The makers declared that Padmaavat would release on January 25 issuing ads that the film was based on the epic,Padmavat by Sufi Poet,Malik Muhammad Jayasi and doesn't have any objectionable scene. The film was still banned by Rajasthan, Gujarat and M.P.

-The producers of Padmaavat moved the SC against the film being banned in four states after receiving a clearance from Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC ). Rajasthan,Gujarat, M.P and Haryana governments had banned the movie saying it's release may pose law and order problems.

-Supreme Court stayed a ban on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat imposed by four states, ensuring all India release of the film on January 25.

-Protest against the release of Padmavat occur in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

-In Gurgaon stones were thrown on kids school bus( I mean stones on children what kind of protest it is anyway )

-On 25 January Padmavat releases.

-The owner of multiplexes of four states take it down because of the protests.

LAW RELATED

1)According to the Article 19 (1)(a) Freedom of speech and expression is given (that means in a movie to make it more entertaining the historical facts can be distorted. The director's creative rights cannot be crippled . It even allows to make cartoons of Prime Minister).

2)The above Article subject to some reasonable restrictions like if it effects:
¤Sovereignty and integrity of India,
¤Security of the state,
¤Friendly relation with foreign states,
¤Public Order,
¤Decency or morality,
¤Contempt of court,
¤Defamation and incitement to offence
The reasonable restriction of public order is applicable on above case.Like four states (Rajasthan, Gujarat, U.P, Haryana ) banned it by saying public order can be affected by the protests.But Supreme Court said that the movie should be released in all over India and the state governments should provide security to the people so that they can watch the movie in safe environment.

3)State cannot override Censor:
The SC observed that the grant of certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC ) under the Cinematograph Act of 1952 dunudes  (take away) State of any power to exercise prohibition of exhibition of a film.
There are basically 3 level where a film can go for its certification.

a) Centre Board of Film Certification ( CBFC )

It is a statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (which is under Center),regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of Cinematograph Act 1952.

b)Film Certification Appellate Tribunal
It is statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting constituted under the provisions of Cinematograph Act  1952.It hears appeals filed by aggrieved persons for film certificate granted by Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC ).

c)Review by Mukul Mudgal committee  (2013) and Shyam Benegal committee  (2016) for the process censorship.

4)Entry 60 of List I (Union List) of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution categorically places legislation relating to sanction of Film for exhibition in the domain of Central Government.

5)Further,the specific language of Entry 33 of List II of same schedule provides that this entry is subject to the provisions of Entry 60 ( Hence center subject)

CONCLUSION

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat should not only release all over India  but states should be given security to maintain public order so that people can watch the movie in safe environment.

Beside all the legal jargon the film critic inside me says that entire controversy is started by Bhansali only. His movie has the most simple script which everyone know.There is a king.There is a queen.There is a villan. Villan likes queen .Queen commits suicide other woman by jumping the Johar (which is by the way is glorifying Sati practice, which is the topic of another blog all together). So yeah simple movie and everyone knew the story.

So yes movie should be released but media should not give it so much space in their coverage . And poor innocent kids should not be terrified by the hooligans.