Censor Board sends Padmavati back to Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmavati has been mired in controversy since it was announced, with various fringe outfits demanding a ban, alleging that the film has distorted history. The Deepika Padukone-Shahid Kapoor-Ranveer Singh starrer faced another hurdle yesterday when the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) returned it, citing technicalities - a source said the application form was incomplete.

The source says, "Before a film goes for certification, the makers need to fill in an application form. The process has become online now. In the case of Padmavati, there were certain details that were not filled in. So the CBFC asked them to reapply." The process of screening the film cannot begin until the makers re-apply with the duly filled form. "Once that is done, the board will issue a date on which they will see the film and certify it." Earlier, the Supreme Court had rejected a petition filed against the release of the film, saying the CBFC was yet to issue a certificate to the movie. The court had added that the CBFC was an independent body and the court would not intervene in their jurisdiction.

There has also been chatter about how the film was not submitted 68 days prior to its release - the minimum time as per the rule stated in the 1952 Act. However, the source insists that the rule has hardly been put into practice. "We recently had Jagga Jasoos for which the certification came four days before the release.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

There are times when the post-production work goes on till the last minute and the film reaches the board much later than it should. So, this is nothing new." In the midst of these developments, Ajit Andhare (COO, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, producer of the film) took to Twitter to quell rumours of the drama being delayed. He wrote, "Rumours of postponement of Padmavati are baseless."