Our worst nightmare has unfolded into reality. The highly anticipated Bollywood epic Padmavaat, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, has been banned from all cinemas in Malaysia.
According to a report by FMT, Malaysia’s film censorship board (LPF) decided to list the movie as “not approved” and a “not relevant” remark placed on its age restriction section.
FMT added that this decision usually happens when a movie is deemed likely to “incite hatred and uneasiness among the community”.
The decision seems a tad absurd – especially since India’s film censorship board approved the movie despite people threatening ‘self-immolation’ and other form attacks if the movie was released to the public.
Padmavaat, which is based on an epic written by poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540, did not agree with some Hindu right-wing groups in India.
The movie stirred controversy as it supposedly (I guess we’ll never know now) portrays a Hindu queen and a Muslim king in an intimate scene.
Production crews were attacked during filming, while director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and lead actress Deepika Padukone received multiple death threats from protesters.
However, despite all the chaos, the movie has already passed the Rs 50 crore mark only 3 days after release.
