Following Sarv Brahman Mahasabha's protest against shoot of Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika in Bikaner, makers reach out to Rajasthan police for protection
Kangana Ranaut
Only weeks after the Rajput Karni Sena protested against the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat, Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi finds itself in a similar quandary. A day after the group, Sarv Brahman Mahasabha, threatened to disrupt the shoot of the film alleging that it "distorts historical facts" by depicting a romantic scene between the Rani of Jhansi and a British agent of East India Company, the makers are said to have approached the Rajasthan police for protection ahead of their Bikaner schedule.
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A source from the unit reveals that the makers have decided to beef up the security on the set. "The shooting resumes on February 10. Besides roping in 50 additional private security personnel, the producers reached out to Rajasthan police department yesterday. 20 state cops will be on watch during the 25-day schedule. The shoot timings and the venue are being kept under wraps for now," reveals the unit hand.
In a press conference on Monday, Suresh Misra, founder president of Sarv Brahman Mahasabha, stated that the Krish-directed film is allegedly based on Jaishree Misra's novel, Rani (biographical fiction) and apparently includes a romantic song between Rani Laxmibai and British officer Robert Ellis. He argued that by depicting an affair between the two, the film "is trying to dampen the queen's reputation".
Also Read: Nothing objectionable in Manikarnika claim makers
When mid-day reached out to producer Kamal Jain, he said, "There is no such scene in the film and neither does our film have anything to do with that book. We have no idea where this is coming from." Jain quashed Misra's claims of the fringe group having sent him a letter last month asking for details on the writers associated with the film and the profile of historians consulted while developing the script. "They claim that they've sent me a letter on January 9. But I have received no such letter from them yet," he said, before adding, "A copy of the script is in our office and authorised people [historians] can feel free to go through it."
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