Manikarnika Row: 'We will not let Kangana Ranaut walk freely in Maharashtra' warns Karni Sena

After wreaking havoc in its protest against the release of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, exactly around the same time last year, Karni Sena is at it again. The Maharashtra Karni Sena has written a letter to the director, producers and the writers of the movie threatening them that if the image of Rani Laxmi Bai is maligned in the movie or if she is shown to be the lover of some Britisher, the makers will have to bear the repercussions.

The Maharashtra Karni Sena have their target on Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, a biopic based on Rani Laxmibai. The actor, however, is not going down very lightly to the alleged, ‘harassment’ much like the queen she is playing.

This came a day after Kangana issued a statement saying that she will destroy the Karni Sena if they continue to harass her over the release of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. “Four historians have certified Manikarnika, we have got censor certificate as well, Karni Sena has been conveyed this but they are continuing to harass me. If they don’t stop then they should know I am also a Rajput and I will destroy each one of them,” Actress Kangana Ranaut said on Friday.

The fringe group has asked the actress not to speak anything against it or else they would ruin her career prospects and burn her film sets. “If she continues to threaten the members of our outfit, we will not let her walk freely in Maharashtra and will burn her film sets,” Ajay Singh Sengar, president, Maharashtra Karni Sena, was quoted as saying by the news agency, ANI.

Sengar also said that the Hindu society will not be very forgiving if Kangana’s film insults the Queen of Jhansi, who was one of the key leaders in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Ever since the film went on floors, Manikarnika has been in the news for no good reasons. One of the most controversial films of the year, Manikarnika had to face a lot of backlash from its cast and crew.

Manikarnika tells the story of Jhansi's Rani Laxmi Bai in the 1857 Mutiny against the East India Company and will also see Ankita Lokhande, Atul Kulkarni, Suresh Oberoi, Danny Denzongpa and Jisshu Sengupta among others. The film is set to hit the theatres on 25 January 2019.