BJP halts screening of Bajirao Mastani in Pune

Following protests by BJP activists, a city multiplex on Friday cancelled five scheduled shows of director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s historical pageant Bajirao Mastani .

The management of multiplex City Pride pulled all shows of the Bhansali film after hundreds of BJP workers protested vehemently on the screening of the historical movie which has been embroiled in a controversy for its alleged inaccuracies.

“The film is an insult to the person of Peshwa Bajirao-I and the song

Pingaa Pingaa is offensive to Marathi culture and degrading to a Marathi lady,” said Pune city BJP vice-president Jayant Bhave Mr. Bhave claimed the film utterly trivialised history by giving scant importance to the weighty political matters of its day and turning the picture film into a ludicrous soap opera replete with tasteless song-and-dance numbers.

“The Peshwa never had the time to fiddle with his hair locks and dance in public as depicted in the film. Similarly, the depiction of his wife, Kashibai is in poor taste.”

Earlier, a city-based resident, demanding a ban on the film, had filed a case against Mr. Bhansali, the film’s director-producer as well cast members, actors Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone who essay the roles of Kashibai, the Peshwa’s first wife and that of Mastani respectively, alleging that filmmakers had tweaked ‘facts’ under the pretext of artistic licence.

The descendants of the Peshwa have already taken strong objection by accusing Mr. Bhansali of ‘gross misrepresentation’. Effigies of Mr. Bhansali have been burnt at the historical Shaniwar Wada fort and a Facebook page, urges a ban on the film .