~PADMAAVAT UPDATES THREAD # 3 - AMAZON PRIME RELEASE 27TH March - Page 10

It has been a while since we heard about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's troubled Padmavati. The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in the lead roles, hit choppy waters, and was accused of distorting history by fringe Rajput groups.

The groups firmly believed that the film would show a romantic dream sequence between Rani Padmini (Deepika) and Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh). This was without even seeing the film, mind you.

Their blind ire was so strong that the groups called for a nation-wide ban on the film. Not content with just this, they issued death threats by the dozen, to the cast, with specific reference to Bhansali and Deepika.

From trying to slap court cases on them, to almost unleashing a mob on the Padmavati team, the trouble-makers tried their best to keep Padmavati from the screens. It's a wonder now, how Bhansali's drive to release the film continues to date.

Padmavati's release date was pushed from December 1, and its fate has been hanging in the balance for a while now.

However, recently, reports have been doing the rounds that the CBFC will grant the certificate to Padmavati soon. Not just this, the film might release on January 5 or January 12.

A PROMOTIONAL OVERDOSE

Now, the dates do seem a little ambitious at first, given that there isn't much time for promotions. Normally, it would be difficult for a film team to create a hype around the film just a few weeks before the release date. Not quite with Padmavati, though.

If you look at it closely, you will see that the burning controversies that Padmavati has been in, have contributed substantially to the excitement and curiosity around the film.

If human psychology has proven anything in the past, it is that the more you try to forbid someone from doing something, the more they want to do it. And so, without realising it, the Karni Sena have worked as the most effective PR agency for Padmavati.

Their aggression and anger against the film have just heightened people's curiosity about the story of Malik Muhammad Jayasi's Padmavat, Rani Padmini's tale and Alauddin Khilji's apparent lust for her. Those unfamiliar with the story would now actually want to see Bhansali's version of the siege of Chittor.

NO BIG-BUDGET RELEASES

Assuming Padmavati does release on January 5 or 12, it will do extremely good business; more so than usual, as there are no major box-office releases during this time. It will have quite a free run, for its first two weeks, before Akshay Kumar's Padman and Sidharth Malhotra's Aiyaary release on January 26.

ELECTION CHAOS OVER

The frenzy around Padmavati reached a feverish pitch since its initial release date was just before the Gujarat Assembly election. Political parties got embroiled in the debate on whether the film should be released or not, and tried to win the fringe groups over.

Now that the madness has subsided, Padmavati's release on January 5 or 12 might just have a smooth run.