Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) on Saturday accused the central government of delaying the release of the movie 'Padmavati' in the wake of Gujarat elections.
The response from the film producers' body comes after Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) told the makers of the controversial epic drama that their request for certification had 'technical deficiencies' and returned their application.
Speaking to ANI, T.P. Aggarwal, the president of IMPPA said, "I don't think, there can be any issue on technical grounds, but instead it's the central government, who does not want this picture to get released because of the elections in Gujarat."
"The Central Board of Certification have sent a letter to the filmmakers that they should go according to the proper procedure, which requires 68 days for board in all to certify a film and until yesterday, none of the filmmakers use to follow this procedure in film industry," claimed Aggarwal.
As per the CBFC guidelines, a film has to be submitted 68 days before its release for certification.
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The board follows a strict chronological order to approve films, and thus, sources say 'Padmavati' may not be allowed to "jump the queue" to seek the certification.
The movie by Sanjay Leela Bhansali is based on the legend of Rani Padmini, a Hindu Rajput queen, mentioned in Padmavat, an Avadhi language epic poem written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540.
The period drama, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been facing protests from various groups, including Shri Rajput Karni Sena.
The makers have already announced the film's release date as December 1.
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