As the makers of "Padmavati" today said they were deferring the release of the film, director Hansal Mehta lamented that "bullies had prevailed again" and said people had resigned themselves to government inaction on such issues.
He expressed concern over filmmakers being targeted and said the stand taken by the government in the "Padmavati" and IFFI row was "disappointing but not unexpected".
Several Rajput groups and political leaders have accused "Padmavati" director Sanjay Leela Bhansali of "distorting historical facts" in the film, featuring Deepika Padukone in the title role.
Mehta, 49, also expressed disappointment over the information and broadcasting ministry's decision to pull out Malayalam film "S Durga" and Marathi movie "Nude" from IFFI's Indian Panorama section.
"Sad that bullies have prevailed again. The government's stance is disappointing but not unexpected. After all what is a film compared to elections? 'S Durga', 'Nude' and 'Padmavati' to begin with. Many more to come..."
In a series of tweets, he said he regretted having recorded a video endorsing IFFI.
"It was done in good faith for the love of films and much before all this happened," Mehta wrote.
In a statement to PTI today, the makers of "Padmavati", Viacom18 Motion Pictures, announced they had "voluntarily" deferred the release of the magnum opus. It was scheduled to have been released on December 1.
The "Aligarh" director debunked the view by many industry bigwigs that postponing the movie's date was a wise decision in the current scenario.
"I was told by many industry leaders that it was a wise strategy to delay 'Padmavati'. Truth is that people have resigned themselves to government inaction in the face of such blatant terror. The only advice given is to shut up, retreat and accept these attacks," he said.
"So SLB (Bhansali) should show the film to those who threaten to have him beheaded? And get their approval?" he wrote.
The revised date of release will be announced soon, the makers said.
Censor Board chief Prasoon Joshi had yesterday slammed the makers for allowing the film to be screened for various media channels before obtaining a certificate from the board.
The CBFC had sent the film back to the producer as the application for the certification was "incomplete".
The movie also stars Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.
Directors Anurag Basu and Nikkhil Advani also took to social media in support of Bhansali.
"It's bizarre! The whole 'Padmavati' row is based on just presumptions. Protestors have not seen a single frame of the film yet, but they know that history has been tampered! How?
"I can understand the desperation! Karni Sena and other protesters will face huge existential crisis post the release of 'Padmavati' so they are trying to juice out maximum," Basu wrote.
Advani tweeted, "First they came for... And I did not speak out... For I was not a... Finally they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me..." quoting lines from a poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller on Nazi Germany.
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