Padmavati row: Now, Rs 50 lakh bounty for beheading Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Deepika Padukone

NEW DELHI: In more trouble for Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, protesters in Uttar Pradesh have announced a bounty of Rs 50 lakhs on the heads of the two Bollywood fraternities for "wrongfully portraying" queen Padmini in their coming film 'Padmavati'.

The protesters, including both men and women, were seen holding a protest march and shouting slogans against Bhansali and Deepika in Sambhal district.

The latest threat comes a day after a Meerut resident from the Kshatriya community on Thursday announced a bounty of Rs 5 crore on the heads of Padmavati film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Deepika Padukone.

Thakur Abhishek Som of Sardhana Chaubisi, who claimed affiliation to the Samajwadi Party, said the Kshatriya community will not tolerate wrongful portrayal of the queen and meddling with its rich heritage. 

The makers of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmavati" have rubbished reports that the film, which is facing protest from several Rajput groups, has been postponed to January next year.

There have been reports saying that the makers plan to postpone the release of "Padmavati" to January 12, following political pressure.

When contacted Ajit Andhare, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, told PTI, " (It's a) complete rumour."

The period drama has been courting controversies as several fringes including Rajput Karni Sena are protesting against the film and Bhansali for distorting historical facts.