CBFC the right authority to take a call on Padmavati: Shahid Kapoor

The fate of "Padmavati" rests in the hands of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and actor Shahid Kapoor said now as the film is with the right authority, he hopes the period drama will release soon.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film was slated to be released on December 1, but the makers "voluntarily" deferred the release after the CBFC asked them to reapply for certification with complete details. They recently applied for 3D certification.

"It is a nice big circle. It is back to where we started, which is where it should have been. The CBFC should have been the right body to take a decision. I am hoping that sooner, not later, it is already pretty being long, we will get a decision.

"... I saw lot of problem with Udta Punjab and eventually, the film released and everybody saw it. The film was loved by the people. And I do believe that it will be similar for Padmavati," Shahid said at an event here.

The actor is unfazed by the film being pushed and said "Padmavati" will do well if the team has done a good job.

"... Whenever the film comes out, people will react the way they would to a story that is being told. If the film has the dignity, strength, originality and cinematic effect that a good film should have, the people will speak well of it. I believe that it is a good film," he said.

"Padmavati" is facing trouble with several Rajput groups and political leaders, alleging that Bhansali has tampered with "historical facts" in the movie.

The director has been accused of using a romantic dream sequence between Rajput queen Padmini (Deepika) and Sultan Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), a claim repeatedly denied by him.

Historians are divided over whether Padmini actually existed. Chief ministers of BJP-ruled states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have also called for a ban on the period drama.