Padmaavat: Deepika Padukone’s Ghoomar song excluded from the film? Here’s the truth

Mumbai: The makers of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (initially titled Padmavati) had unveiled Ghoomar, a song that showcases the traditional Rajputana dance form, in October last year. Featuring Deepika Padukone, the song garnered millions of views on YouTube and proved to be a music lover’s delight.

But speculations are rife that the song in question may not be a part of the film. Real-life Royals were offended by the song as they said that Rajput women do not dance and the song Ghoomar showed Deepika (who essays Rani Padmavati in the film) performing the art form.

Even the Central Board of Film Certification had suggested modifications to the song so as to make the depiction befitting the character that is being portrayed.

According to a report in India.com, Ghoomar will be a part of the film and will be presented with certain modifications.

“There were only two options in front of Bhansali – either make the suggested changes to the song or pull it down completely from the film and all other platforms that it is being played/screened on. Re-shooting the song would have been very expensive and time consuming and making the changes without doing so would have been difficult. Therefore, the initial thought was to let the film release without the song,” India.com quoted a source as saying.

The source added, “The song comes in the movie at a crucial point and a lot of hardwork, time and money has gone into shooting it. So letting it go didn’t seem right. But while it is still part of Padmaavat, there will be some changes in the song.”

Bhansali`s magnum opus, based on the legend of Rani Padmini, a Hindu Rajput queen mentioned in Padmavat, an Avadhi poem written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540, has been facing protests from various groups, mainly Rajput Karni Sena, for allegedly tampering with historical facts.

In a new twist to the ongoing controversy over release of Padmaavat, female members of Kshatriya community in Chittorgarh on Saturday threatened to perform "jauhar" (self-immolation) if the screening of the film is not stopped by the government.

According to Virendra Singh, a representative board will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16, who is scheduled to visit Pachpadra village in Barmer district for laying the foundation stone for a refinery project.

"A request will be made to him as well to stop the screening of the film," he said.

"But, if despite all these measures the film is released, the women of Kshatriya Samaj will perform jauhar on January 24 -- the day when the queen performed jauhar -- and at the same site," said Virendra Singh.

(With IANS inputs)