Protests Over 'Panipat' Movie Intensify, Men Vandalise Cinema Hall In Jaipur

Five men were arrested by the Jaipur Police for vandalising a cinema hall in the Rajasthan’s capital city on Monday. The men were allegedly protesting against Ashutosh Gowariker's ‘Panipat’ movie. In exclusive inside visuals of the cinema hall, the protestors could be heard ‘Surajmal Zindabad’ as they vandalised the property. The movie theatre has been identified as one Vaibhav Cinema Hall in Jaipur’s Vaishali Nagar area. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh on Sunday demanded a ban on the screening of Ashutosh Gowariker's "Panipat" in North India to avoid a law and order situation, following protest against the film in Bharatpur.

State Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh, who is a direct descendant of Surajmal, alleged that the movie, featuring Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, portrays Bharatpur king Maharaja Surajmal in unseemly manner.

"It is unfortunate that the legendary Jat ruler, Maharajah Surajmal has been depicted in an unseemly light and historical facts have been distorted in the film, "Panipat".

"In light of the vociferous protest by the Jat community in Haryana, Rajasthan and other regions of North India, I believe that the film should be banned to avoid a law and order situation," Singh posted on Twitter.?

Opposition leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje also condemned the portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal in the film, which released on Friday.

"The mistaken portrayal of the self-respecting, loyal and large hearted emperor Maharaja Surajmal in the film 'Panipat' by the filmmaker is condemnable," she tweeted.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday urged the Censor Board to take note of the claims that Ashutosh Gowariker's "Panipat" had wrongly portrayed Maharaja Surajmal.He also urged distributors to have a dialogue with Rajasthan's Jat community, some of whose members are offended by the film starring Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt. "The reactions that are coming about the portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal ji in the film... such a situation should not have been created,” the chief minister said. "The Censor Board should intervene and take cognisance of it." "Distributors should immediately hold a dialogue with the people of the Jat community on the screening of the film," Gehlot said in a statement in Hindi.

The movie is based on the third battle of Panipat fought between the Maratha empire and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.