A group of around 20 unidentified men armed with petrol bombs and rods vandalised the sets of director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming period film Padmavati at Panhala in Kolhapur around 12.45 am on Wednesday.
The group set ablaze tents erected at the site, according to the police, which registered a case of arson and rioting against the unidentified vandals. Two cars were also damaged in the attack.
As per the FIR lodged by producer Chetan Devalikar, 80 per cent of movie set was damaged, causing a loss of Rs 4-5 crore. The Kolhapur police, which has lodged a complaint against 40 unknown people. For the last 10 days, the police had provided protection to the filmmakers during the daytime as the members of the Karni Sena, an obscure outfit, had attacked the crew while they were shooting in Jaipur in January.
None of the cast or crew was present at Kolhapur's Masai Pathar plateau when the incident occurred, but a horse is said to be injured. Mr Bhansali was at a resort around six kilometres away from the site. Up to 20 fire engines were pressed into action to douse the flames. Minister of state for home department Deepak Kesarkar has requested Mr Bhansali to officially lodge a police complaint over the attack. Senior officers said protection was sought during the daytime for the set, which was provided.
“The tents contained costumes and wooden material and hence they caught fire. Some crewmembers were present at the spot and two of them sustained minor injuries in the attack. They were provided medical aid soon after. The shoot was to continue for five more days,” Vishwas Nangre Patil, Inspector General, Aurangabad told The Asian Age.
“Bhansali was at a resort located at Panhala six kilometres from the site and he was informed about the attack soon after the incident took place. We are investigating all angles, including the possibility of locals being angered by the crew members' actions,” Mahadev Tambade, superintendent of police (Kolhapur), said.
The police suspect Rajput groups from Kolhapur to be involved. The group came in cars that were parked around a kilometre from the plateau. They walked to the set and set it on fire before fleeing. The private security and crewmembers managed to nab two vandals, however, their accomplices released them from captivity and took them away. Officials said the attackers were suspected to be locals as they were heard speaking in Marathi. However, denying the possibility of attack by local villagers, Priyanka Mahadik, sarpanch, Mhalunge village, said, “Masai Pathar is 20-25 km from all villages and people don't stay at the Pathar at all. Besides, the attackers had come with petrol bombs and iron rods. These people must be from organisations like the Karni Sena, which have issues with the story.”
Sandip Patil, another villager, said, “The film shoot benefited more than 300 people from nearby villages. Why would the people attack the very thing that is providing them their livelihood?”
