A Mumbai tabloid stated that the director intends to hold reconciliatory meetings with chief ministers of states banning Padmavati. However, sources close to Sanjay Leela Bhansali have condemned a report.
Completely denying the veracity of this report, the source said, “This is clearly a brainwave of a bored journalist looking for some excitement in his work. There is no plan whatsoever to meet chief ministers or to make potentially reconciliatory gestures with any other group or individual at the moment. SLB went to Delhi to meet the parliamentary committee for an amicable discussion. That was done out of respect for the parliament. Apart from that, the director has no intentions of meeting anyone to convince them to release his films.”
Another source close to Padmavati says the plan at the moment is to maintain a low profile. “They’re waiting for the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to view Padmavati and for the Gujarat elections to be over before locking in on another release date,” says a source.
The question now is, why is the CBFC not viewing and certifying Padmavati?
“This was the question Prasoon Joshi was repeatedly asked by the parliamentary committee. He doesn’t seem to have any tenable answer to that,” says the informed source.
Back to the Bhansali rumour, here is a warning from SLB to the speculative fantastical sections of the media: “Just because I am not speaking, please do not presume you can get away with anything.”
