Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was slapped and his hair was pulled on the sets of his film "Padmavati" in Jaipur by protesters who alleged that the film shows a much-celebrated Rajput queen in poor light.
Members of the Rajput Karni Sena stormed the film's sets at the historic Jaigarh Fort and assaulted Sanjay Leela Bhansali. They also vandalized equipment.
"Padmavati", a historical drama, is based on the story of Queen Padmini, who famously refused to submit to emperor Alauddin Khilji when he arrived at the Chittorgarh fort with his army and killed herself along with scores of other women before he could storm the fort.
They also damaged some cameras and other equipment, forcing Bhansali to stop shooting.
"We had earlier requested him (Bhansali) to show us the script which he did not do. We are against distorting of historical facts and we know that he has distorted historical facts," Vivek Singh of Karni Sena told IANS.
"Padmavati" tells the story of Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi ruler, who fell in love with Rajput queen Padmavati. Actors Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor star in the film.
Bhansali, whose 2015 release "Bajirao Mastani" was also criticised by a section of the society for "distorting" history, was shooting some shots of "Padmavati" in Jaigarh Fort.
Around 12 p.m. some activists of Karni Sena gathered there and started to protest. They even mishandled and misbehaved with Bhansali and his other crew members. There was a complete chaos for some time and Bhansali had to stop shooting.
Police had a tough time in controlling the situation.
"We will only allow him to shoot after we see the script," Singh said.