Padmavati to release as ‘Padmavat’ on Jan 25, clash with Akshay’s Pad Man
Both Padmavat and Pad Man will release on January 25
After an excruciatingly long and controversy-mired journey, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ is finally set to release on January 25 as ‘Padmavat’ with a U/A certificate. It will compete with Akshay Kumar’s ‘Pad Man’.
“It will release as ‘Padmavat’ on January 25. The film has got U/A certificate,” sources at the film’s production banner Viacom18 Motion Pictures told IANS.
“Padmavati — now Padmavat — was earlier slated for release on December 1 but the studio had voluntarily deferred it following a long-stretched controversy.
The movie, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Shahid Kapoor, has been mired in a row after the Shree Rajput Karni Sena claimed it distorted historical facts related to the Rajput community.
The group has been persistent in its demand for a ban on the movie despite Bhansali’s clarification before a Parliamentary committee that the row over the movie was just based on rumours.
Last month, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), in consultation with a special advisory panel, decided it will grant U/A certificate to the movie but subject to five modifications, including a title change.
The makers were asked to add disclaimers pertaining to the practice of Sati and modify the song ‘Ghoomar’ to befit the character.
An official communication from team ‘Padmavat’ regarding the final modifications has not been made yet. Its release date announcement led to a stir in the film trade circles.
“It’s a complex situation for ‘Padmavat’. They have too short a time before the release, plus there are hurdles for it as certain states have announced a blanket ban, and the Karni Sena continues to oppose the movie,” Trade business expert Girish Johar told IANS
“However, from the box office point of view, it’s a great thing that two big films (Padmavat and Pad Man) will release on the extended weekend. It will be a huge weekend and audiences will have a choice of both films. Obviously, the better one will have a longer run,” he added.
‘Pad Man’ will see Akshay Kumar take on the role of a real-life hero who introduced low-cost sanitary napkins for the hygiene and safety of women in his village.
Despite the now inevitable clash, the film’s producer Prerna Arora and Akshay are optimistic about their film’s performance.
“We are not nervous or worried about the clash. We are confident about our film. I think two big films can come together. If the film is good it will do well commercially irrespective of a clash. We are happy for Padmavat,” Arora told PTI.
According to some media reports, the ‘Padmavat’ release announcement has also impacted the release date of movies like ‘Aiyaary’ and ‘Pari’, with the former having pushed their release date to February 9.
With IANS inputs
