'Padmaavat' now barred from release in Malaysia
Padmaavat
The epic film met with violence across the country from fringe groups like Karni Sena who said that the film dishonoured the Rajput legacy
Controversies don't seem to lose sight of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film "Padmaavat" as it is now barred from releasing in the neighbouring country of Malaysia.
Citing"sensitivities of Islam",Malaysia's National Film Censorship Board (LPF) barred filmmaker the epic film from getting released in the country.
In a statement, LPF chairmanMohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz saidthat the storyline of the film itself is of grave concern as "Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country".
He said: "The storyline of the film touches on the sensitivities of Islam. That in itself is a matter of grave concern in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country.”
The film released in India amid escalating violence on part of fringe groups like Karni Sena that claimed that the storyline of the film distorted the image of their historical queen Padmini and was directly aiming at the Rajput honour.
This is, however, not the first time when Malaysia has banned films. Last year, the country bannedDisney’s "Beauty and the Beast" for a gay moment before relenting and allowing it a PG13 certificate.The country also prosecuted filmmaker Lena Hendry, for holding a private screening of a documentary "No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka".
Rights advocacy groups voice concerns overMalaysia's censorship laws that are used time and again in an arbitrary fashion.
The groups have criticised this way of working and said that this has stunted Malaysian filmmaking.